KATHMANDU, JUNE 3

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has urged people who are facing difficulty managing food during the lockdown period to call the hotline number 1180 for assistance.

A majority of the districts across the country have imposed lockdown restrictions in a bid to prevent the spread of the second wave of COVID-19. KMC has requested people to call its hotline if they are in dire need of foodstuff for sustenance during the lockdown period. Last year, KMC had distributed food and groceries to those who faced food shortage during the time of the first wave of the pandemic. It had done so in coordination with various organisations and wards.

'The number of people coming in contact of KMC citing difficulty managing food is very less this time around compared to last year. We have been providing support to those coming to us with this problem through the ward office. I urge anyone facing the problem of food shortage to inform us by dialling 1180 for help,' KMC spokesperson Ishwor Man Dangol said. 'After getting information, KMC will provide the required foodstuffs to the needy persons from the respective ward where they reside,' he said.

Meanwhile, KMC has brought into operation a total of 20 ambulances free of charge to facilitate the treatment of patients. Of these ambulances, 10 are meant for COVID-19 patients and the remaining 10 for non-COVID patients. Anyone needing ambulance service can call 102.

Dangol said 22,000 COVID-19 patients and 12,000 non-COVID patients had availed this service so far.

Similarly, KMC has brought into operation a 309-bed isolation facility and special hospital to manage the increasing number of patients requiring oxygen support at hospitals in view of the situation created by the shortage of medical oxygen.

Of the 62,383 cases of coronavirus infection reported in KMC so far, 51,167 have recovered while 10,095 are in home isolation and 186 are in institutional isolation.

The number of active infections is 10,797. Of them, 516 are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

So far, 419 people have died due to COVID-19.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 4, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.