KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 4

Authorities have restricted people from meeting Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli after five of his aides and 70 security personnel deployed at Baluwatar tested positive for the virus yesterday.

Yesterday, PM Oli’ s Chief Adviser Bishnu Rimal, Foreign Affairs Adviser Rajan Bhattarai, Press Adviser Surya Thapa, Chief Personal Secretary Indra Bhandari and photographer at the prime minister’s private secretariat Rajan Kafle tested positive for the virus. The PM’s communication expert Ram Sharan Bajgai said, “We have suggested that the prime minister refrain from meeting people in person, unless it is very urgent.”

While the COVID situation in Baluwatar has worsened, the main opposition Nepali Congress has closed its central office for five days after some senior leaders of the party contracted the virus. Central members Arjun Narasingha KC, Gagan Thapa, invited central members Shambhulal Shrestha and Kalpana Chaudhary among others were found infected with the virus. They tested positive for the virus yesterday.

NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said that the office will remain closed until October 8. The party had conducted the PCR test to conduct the Central Working Committee meeting slated for Monday.

However, with the positive cases the meeting has been stalled for indefinite time.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on October 5, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.