KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — A total of 3,841 university and college students will be sent back to their hometowns in several parts of the country today, said Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said this would involve the eastern zone with the states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan; the Perak zone; the southern zone with Johor, Melaka and Negri Sembilan; and Sarawak.

"The movement of students in east and south zones will start at 9pm today while efforts to send affected students in Perak and Sarawak began earlier at 9am,” said Ismail Sabri during the daily Covid-19 briefing today.

The Higher Education Ministry will send 1,029 students from the east zone to their hometowns and they are scheduled to depart at 9pm on 80 buses and 73 private vehicles.

Another 519 students from the Perak zone have already been sent to their hometowns in Perak since 9am today on 25 buses.

For the southern zone, 1,366 students will return on 76 buses to their hometowns. Additionally, 280 students from the Sarawak zone will be sent to their hometowns in 25 buses.

Ismail Sabri, who is also the defence minister, said a family representative will be present to pick up the students at the designated district police headquarters or district office.

"For families who are not able to pick up the students, transportation will be handled by the government agency involved,” he said.

Many university and college students were stranded shortly after the movement control order (MCO) was announced on March 18, where the country was put on a partial lockdown as a preventive measure against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.