Hetauda, March 28

Bagmati Province Chief Minister Dormani Poudel has urged all Nepalis living in the country and abroad to take special precaution against the coronavirus pandemic.

“At a time when the entire world is fighting against the coronavirus scourge, I hereby urge all Nepalis, both living in the country and abroad, not to let their guard down and be very careful to save us and our family, friends and society from the deadly disease,” said CM Poudel in a message yesterday.

“Even people in the most developed countries have confined themselves inside their homes to save their lives. So, we have to take cue from them and help our government in the battle against the hidden enemy by observing the lockdown strictly,” he said.

“I respect all people for their cooperation in the government’s attempt to control the pandemic by staying indoors. Yet, in our province, there are some people who want to come out of home. I urge all and sundry to help the government by observing the lockdown,” he added.

In his message, the chief minister also acknowledged the role of security agencies and health workers in implementing the government’s decision of lockdown and requested them to discharge their duties sincerely.

Hinting at the possibility that the government might adopt more stringent measures in view of the gravity of the situation, Poudel ensured the provincial government would take special initiative to prevent shortage of food, medical supplies and fuel. “As for daily wage earners and others who find it hard to make their ends meet, we’ll make sure that they won’t die of hunger,” he said.

To shoppers thronging shops to purchase daily essentials amidst the lockdown, the chief minister urged them to avoid crowd and maintain distance from each other.

“As thronging shops to make daily purchases creates the risk of contracting the unseen virus, I urge all to run their essential errands by avoiding crowds,” Poudel said.

Chief Minister Poudel also urged people to inform their local representatives or the nearest police unit about people who returned from abroad recently.

“There are a total of 119 local levels in the province and I urge local representatives to be serious about monitoring their respective areas. Let’s keep the people who have returned home from abroad in home-quarantine or in quarantine centres set up by the government if there are risky cases,” he said in his message.

“In this time of global crisis, everyone must fufil their responsibilities with sincerity as it is our service to the nation and humanity,” read the message.