Kathmandu, February 4

The government is likely to quarantine Nepalis evacuated from the Chinese province of Hubei, which has been hit hard by novel coronavirus outbreak, at Nepal Electricity Authority Training Centre in Bhaktapur.

Sagar Dahal, chief of Health Emergency Operation Centre, Ministry of Health and Population, said a meeting held in the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers today dwelt on quarantining the evacuees at NEA Training Centre but the venue was not finalised.

The Ministry of Health and Population had proposed to quarantine the evacuees at NEA Training Centre in Bhaktapur, Agricultural Development Bank Central Training Institute in Bode, Bhaktapur, Nepal Administrative Staff College in Jawalakhel or National Ayurveda Research and Training Centre in Kirtipur. The evacuees will be quarantined for two weeks before they are sent home.

The government has been discussing evacuation of Nepalis from Hubei since Saturday. The disease has spread rapidly across China, claiming at least 425 lives and infecting at least 20,438 people.

At least 180 Nepalis have filed applications at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing requesting evacuation.

Bangladesh, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the UK and the US have evacuated their citizens from China. More countries are evacuating or planning to evacuate their citizens.

Several countries have imposed travel restrictions on China and suspended flights to the country