Kathmandu, August 18

District administration offices of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur have decided to impose one-week curfew across the valley, the most populated urban centre in the country, beginning tomorrow midnight to August 26 to break the chain of COV- ID transmission.

A meeting of chief district officers of all three districts held in Kathmandu today took a decision to this effect to exercise powers conferred by Section 6 of the Local Administration Act-1971.

Movement of people and vehicles except those on emergency duty (ambulance, hearse, four-wheelers of security agencies and transportation and delivery services related to drugs and medical oxygen, drinking water, milk, foodstuff and vegetables, cooking gas and garbage), gatherings, meetings, religious assemblies and social activities will be banned. The ban will also be applicable to public transport.

Security chiefs of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur were also present at the meeting, which lasted till 9:30pm. With the enforcement of the curfew order, all services except essential ones will remain shut, stated a release by Kathmandu DAO.

No one shall be allowed to operate education institutions, tuition centres, training centres, language classes, party palaces, cinema halls, entertainment centres, salons, beauty parlours, spas, swimming pools, hotels, restaurants, gymnasiums, libraries, museums, zoos and places that witness crowds.

Once curfew is in place, the concerned CDOs shall also cause all government and public offices supplying essentials to operate their service delivery with minimum number employees, while making arrangements of work from home for the remaining employees. “Even the employees designated for supply of essential services shall have to obtain vehicle passes with their photographs from the offices concerned in a manner to be applicable only from 9:00am to 10:30am and from 3:00pm to 5:30pm,” read the release.

According to the decision, banks and financial institutions shall have to provide service through electronic means as far as possible. If that is not possible, they may operate essential services by allowing minimum number of employees to the office.

Anyone violating the order will be brought to book as per the law, the release warned.

The Cabinet meeting held yesterday had decided to delegate authority to CDOs to issue necessary orders applicable across the district or in any part of the district for the prevention, control and treatment of COVID cases.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 19, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.