KAVRE, AUGUST 26

Though the risk of COVID-19 spread at the community level is high, most of the local levels in Kavre are reluctant to build isolation wards. Of the total 13 local levels, only five have built their own isolation facilities till date.

According to COVID-19 Prevention and Control Command Post of Kavre, so far, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Panchkhal, Panauti and Namobuddha municipalities have built isolation centres with Banepa and Dhulikhel municipalities building a 50-bed and 31-bed isolation facilities respectively, Panauti and Namobuddha municipalities have set up sixbed isolation wards each.

Panchkhal Municipality has readied a seven-bed isolation ward.

Other local levels — Mandandeupur Municipality and Khanikhola, Mahabharat, Roshi, Bethanchowk, Temal, Bhumlu and Chaurideulari rural municipalities — have yet to build such facilities.

“We have long asked all local levels to manage isolation centres, but more than half of the local levels have ignored our call. Unless all local levels build their own isolation shelters, the only two hospitals in the district can’t accommodate the pressure of infected persons,” said the command post member secretary and District Health Office Chief Dr Narendra Kumar Jha, adding that the command post had urged all the local bodies to build at least a 10-bed isolation ward in the preliminary phase.

Bhumlu Rural Municipality Chairperson Gumandhwoj Kunwar, on his part, said his rural municipality couldn’t build an isolation centre simply because of lack of health workers needed to manage the isolation centre.

As per the data provided by the command post, so far 163 people have been confirmed with COVID-19 in the district.

Of them, two have died while 68 have recovered and returned home. The other 93 people are undergoing treatment at different isolation facilities.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 27, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.