Kathmandu, April 5
The government of Nepal on Saturday decided to ‘tighten’ restrictions imposed during the lockdown period introduced to control the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
A Cabinet meeting held yesterday evening decided to stop citizens from moving from one local unit to another and from one district to another, according to the government spokesperson, Minister for Finance Yuba Raj Khatiwada.
The government decision comes just a few hours after the country confirmed three new infected cases in a single day. Among the three cases, one is a 34-year-old woman, who happened to be the first Covid-19 patient of the country who was not recently abroad while all other cases till today belong to the people who recently returned to the country from other countries. The country’s health officials and experts have said this incident marks Nepal’s entry to the second stage of coronavirus infection, suggesting more restrictive measures.
Meanwhile, the government could not make any decision regarding extending the lockdown. The lockdown was first announced till March-end and was extended by one week later.
Khatiwada says the Cabinet will decide whether to extend the lockdown in its next meeting. It has been learned that the government is concerned about India‘s next move and its impact on the human movement in Nepal as the two countries share a long open border and hence waiting for the Indian move to make a concrete decision.
