NEPALGUNJ: As many as 12,088 people have returned to their homes in Bardiya district from various part of the country after during the nationwide lockdown, informed District Administration Office.

With the extension of the lockdown duration, all eight local levels of the district have been rescuing locals stranded across the country. All 91 quarantine facilities in the district are operating at full capacity with 2,464 people quarantined in them.

The large number of people returning home has made it impossible to accommodate them all in quarantine facilities, said Ghana Narayan Shrestha, Mayor of Thakur Baba Municipality. The returnees have been sent directly to their homes after recording their details including temperature and have been told to stay in home quarantine.

People returning from risk areas have been identified and will be monitored by their local representatives.

However, Barbardiya Municipality has put all returnees at community quarantine facilities with families delivering food and other necessities to the quarantined, said Durga Bahadur Tharu, mayor of the municipality. The facilities are monitored by health workers and security personnel.

The returnees have been urged to stay in self-quarantine and not to wander around, informed Prem Lal Lamichhane, Chief District Officer, Bardiya.

No Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) has been performed on the returnees yet.

Only 391 people have so far been tested for the coronavirus antibodies in the district, informed Gokarna Giri, chief of District Health Office.