KATHMANDU, MAY 23

The Ministry of Health and Population has said that the number of coronavirus cases is rising in the rural areas.

Speaking at a press briefing today, Krishna Poudel, director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said coronavirus was spreading in the villages.

"Though people were requested to stay in quarantine for 10 days, they flouted the safety and health protocols. This has caused a spike in infection rate in rural areas. People have not been abiding by the prohibitory orders. As such, the infection rate hasn't declined as it was supposed to," he said.

He also requested people to adopt preventive health measures to help contain the virus. Areas such as Kathmandu, Kailali, Banke, Chitwan, Dang, Rupandehi, among other districts, are at high risk. "Precautionary measures must me adopted," he advised.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 24, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.