KATHMANDU, Mar 23 (NNN-NEPALNEWS) — With the increasing spread of COVID-19 infection across the world, Nepal decided to shut down its border with China and India for a week.
The decision was made in a cabinet meeting, held on Sunday evening, under the leadership of Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli at his official residence, Baluwatar. It was the first cabinet meeting held by PM Oli, after his kidney transplant.
Nepali Minister for Physical Infrastructures and Transport, Lekh Raj Bhatta, confirmed that, the government decided to shut down all the border points for a week, to be effective from 10 a.m. local time Monday.
“It is a precautionary measure and will be implemented in coordination with both the neighbouring countries,” the minister said.
The latest move comes, following the increase of positive cases in the southern neighbour India with whom Nepal shares an open border. In the northern side, Nepal-China border has remained closed after the outbreak in Central China’s Wuhan.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also decided to form a central fund, to fight against COVID-19, while the prime minister and each minister are required to donate their one month’s salary.
Nepal launched stringent measures to prevent outbreak of the epidemic, including the suspension of all international flights, effective from Sunday and closure of all offices, except the emergency ones.
Nepal has so far only reported a single case of the COVID-19 in Jan. The patient has recovered and discharged.
On Sunday, a person from India’s border city of Birgunj was reported to have a positive test of the virus, however, it could not be verified as he is undergoing treatment in Patna, India.
Besides the first recovered case, as of Sunday, Nepal tested 571 samples, all of which are negative, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.
