Kathmandu, April 14

Police have urged the public to support the lockdown or face more stringent action as the government today extended the nationwide lockdown until April 27.

Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, that looks after law enforcement inside Kathmandu valley, has said so after two persons at Pepsicola based Sun City Apartments in Kathmandu had tested positive for COVID-19 pandemic. Police said that around 500 families reside in the apartment apart from hundreds of other families that live in private residences around the apartment.

SSP Shyam Lal Gyawali, spokesperson for MPO, Ranipokhari, said the public do not have any option but to stay inside their homes to beat the deadly coronavirus.

“The lockdown was not introduced because there was any security threat. It was introduced to secure people against the virus spread. Thus, it is the duty of the public duty to support the cause,” he said.

He said since it was not sure who could carry the virus or who such people met it would be best if police took stringent action against those who walked out of their houses without an emergency situation. The authorities have allowed only vehicles for medical emergency and carrying daily essentials and during emergency situation to ply.

Police have been holding 2,500 to 3,000 motorists and rule violators everyday since the lockdown rule was introduced three weeks ago. Police normally hold rule violators on the roadside for a couple of hour and later let them free after advising them not to violate the rule.

“We will need to be tough against rule violators in case more people start violating the rule,” SSP Gyawali said.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 15, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.