Rautahat, April 14

Fear of COVID-19 pandemic has deepened in Province 2 now with the confirmation of four coronavirus cases in Parsa and Rautahat lately.

While three Indian nationals who were in Nepal to preach Islam were diagnosed with the virus in Birgunj, separately a 19-year-old India returnee also tested positive for the virus in Rautahat recently.

The teenager of Ishanath Municipality, Rautahat, employed in New Delhi, had returned home amidst the lockdown secretly crossing the border from India in the dark. After his arrival on the night of March 29, he was picked up and placed in quarantine the next day. Along with him, police had also quarantined three other persons of the same municipality, who had travelled home with the youth from New Delhi.

In Birgunj, three Indian nationals staying in an orphanage in Chhapakaiya also tested positive. In view of the risk, the authorities there tested 59 persons who had come into contact with the three positive cases. They all said to have tested negative.

While the authorities in all eight districts have urged the people to avoid coming out of their homes, the local chamber of commerce and industries has set up a system to ensure delivery of essentials at home.

“With the finding of the four cases in the province, the provincial government is very serious about the possible risk,” said CM Lalbabu Raut’s press adviser Atish Mishra, adding that the meeting has decided to set up more isolation beds at hospitals across the province to treat possible coronavirus patients and ramp up security along the Nepal-India border.