Rajbiraj, August 6

A house at Rupani Rural Municipality was sealed after a person died due to COVID-19 in Saptari today.

Bindeshwor Sah, 45, of the rural municipality died when he was taken to Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences on Tuesday. Sah’s final rites were halted after Rupani Rural Municipality Chairman Hareram Yadav informed the district health office and police about the death yesterday.

The body was brought home the same night. The final rites were halted as the swab sample had not been collected for the PCR test.

Security personnel with PPE carried out the final rites today after permission from the authority concerned.

Duniyalal Yadav, chief of District Health Office, Saptari, said Sah’s house was sealed after his swab sample tested positive for coronavirus yesterday. He said swab samples of five members of Sah’s family were also collected.

Chief at Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital Dr Ranjit Jha said Mangalu Khanga, 81, of Dakneshwori Municipality and Bachhalal Sutihar, 80, of Rajgadh Rural Municipality tested negative for COVID. They had died in Rajbiraj-based Chhinamasta Hospital on Tuesday night. Family members said the final rites were carried out after the test report came out last night.

Meanwhile, Saptari District Administration Office has issued prohibitory order effective from August 4 after the infection became widespread.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.