BHAKTAPUR: Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Bhaktapur has formed a rapid response team in view of the growing threat of coronavirus pandemic.

An emergency meeting of the people's representatives, and chief of government and private health facilities took this decision to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in the municipality.

A team of medical persons led by Dr Dikshya Neupane and Dr Bijay Kumar Yadav was instituted for the rapid response which will prepare work plan on how coronavirus-infected people can be singled out and provided with necessary treatment.

Municipality Mayor Madan Sundar Shrestha said, "We've prepared six-bed isolation unit, two-bed ICU ventilators at Nepal-Korea Friendship Hospital. In case of further need, 30-bed isolation ward could be prepared."

According to Mayor Shrestha, training centre of Agriculture Development Bank at Bode could be changed into quarantine with 50 beds in case of severity.

In a bid to aware people, more than 50,000 copies of pamphlets bearing information on COVID-19 have been distributed in the community.

Moreover, the municipality has decided not to allow leave to anyone working in essential services.