Bara, August 10

Authorities in Bara have decided to set up a 400-bed provincial isolation ward in Jitpursimara Sub-metropolitan City for treatment of coronavirus infected persons.

“Work to construct the isolation ward will start from tomorrow and finish in two weeks,” said Jitpursimara sub-metropolis Mayor Krishna Poudel, adding the decision to set up the facility was taken at an all-party meeting held in the presence of Chief District Officer Rudra Prasad Pandit last evening.

According to Poudel, Rs 17.5 million of the provincial government will be spent on construction of the isolation facility at Provincial Health Training Centre of Pathlaiya in Ward No 1.

The meeting also decided to upgrade the existing COVID-19 Temporary Treatment Centre of Ward 2 into a 300-bed Isolation Centre.

The recent moves have to do with the community spread of COVID-19 in Birgunj of Parsa, a neighbouring district.

“Now that COVID-19 is spreading at the community level in adjoining places, we decided to mobilise all the resources at our disposal to prevent the disease from spreading here, and also work in coordination with the provincial government,” said the mayor, adding beds would be added in the provincial isolation facility on the basis of necessity.

Meanwhile, after the viral infection was seen in a few locals and labourers of a few factories operating on the Pathalaiya-Birgunj Industrial Corridor, a prohibitory order came into force in Bara a week ago. Of the 232 COVID infected, 200 have recovered and returned home in Bara so far.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 11, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.