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The government has shut down the border points to prevent cases of coronavirus from entering the country

As advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), a cabinet meeting held on Sunday decided to shut down all customs points with China and India to prevent the movement of people from both the countries. This measure came into force from yesterday, and it will remain effective for a period of at least one week. The government may extend the restriction on the movement of people from both the countries in view of the growing number of people entering the country, especially from the southern border points. The government resorted to locking down the country from air and surface routes after thousands of Nepalis started returning home from India within a couple of days amidst growing concern that imported coronavirus may infect large swathes of the country’s population. However, import and export of goods from both the sides will continue, as per the cabinet decision. The government has already decided to shut down all international flights to and from the country’s only international airport – Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. With the decision coming into force, all the six trading routes, including two motorable roads to China’s Tibet, and 39 motorable routes and 125 other accessible entry points with India will remain closed. A joint team of the Nepali Army and Nepal Police will be deployed to enforce the ban on the people’s movement through the border points.

The government’s decision to shut down the international borders comes close on the heels of two imported COVID-19 cases – one from China’s Wuhan city and the latest one coming from France – on Monday. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was detected in January. Although no case of the virus has been detected so far inside the country, the likelihood of many more imported cases of the virus cannot be ruled out, given the 1,800-km-long porous border with India, where eight people have already succumbed to the disease while over 400 people have contracted it. Earlier, WHO had urged the government to seal the international borders to prevent the import of the virus. This is the main reason why the government has asked all Nepalis to stay put where they are.

In order to deal with the emerging health situation, the government has also decided to create a fund of Rs 500 million, which will be used to procure logistics support for the treatment of the infect

Read the full story on The Himalayan Times

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