KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 8

Chief district officers of the three districts of Kathmandu valley, after failing to make a decision on whether or not to extend the ongoing prohibitory orders, have sought direction from the Ministry of Home Affairs on the matter.

The CDOs, after dwelling on the matter for hours in virtual meetings, have sent a letter to the MoHA stating the divided opinion of stakeholders regarding the extension of prohibitory orders inside the valley.

Narayan Prasad Bhatta, CDO of Lalitpur, said, “Half the stakeholders suggested that the lockdown be lifted owing to the hardships being faced by the general people, while the other half suggested that prohibitory orders be continued as the number of daily infections had shown no sign of decreasing. Owing to the dilemma, we have decided to let the home ministry take the final decision on the matter.”

Prohibitory orders have been in force in Kathmandu valley since August 20 in a bid to subdue the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The three CDOs of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur had first imposed the prohibitory orders in the valley for a week, later extending the same till September 9 midnight. Earlier, the whole nation had been under lockdown for several months since March 24.

Earlier, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had requested the valley CDOs to relax the prohibitory orders, while the Ministry of Health and Population had suggested that the curbs be tightened.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 9, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.