JHAPA, AUGUST 24

Gauradaha Municipality in Jhapa has imposed a partial lockdown effective from today given the COVID-19 risk. The decision was taken by an all-party meeting held under the chairmanship of Mayor Rohit Kumar Sah today.

According to Chief Administrative Officer Khem Ojha of the municipality, as per the decision, now onwards food and vegetable shops will be allowed to be open until 9:00am and banks and financial institutions till 1:00 pm every day across the municipality.

“As two more COVID-19 cases were confirmed yesterday, the municipality was obliged to enforce a partial lockdown until September 7,” Ojha said.

A 21-year-old male resident of ward 9 of Gauradaha Municipality and a 29-year-old employee of the local Nepal Electricity Authority office tested positive for the virus yesterday.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the district, a supermarket in Birtamod was sealed after COVID-19 was detected in the family of a jeweller.

“Ratna Supermarket of Birtamod Municipality has been sealed after COVID-19 was detected in two members of a jeweller’s shop operating from the supermarket,” said Birtamod Municipality COV- ID-19 coordinator Om Khadka.

Birtamod Mayor Dhruv Shiwakoti said preparations were underway to identify and conduct PCR tests of persons who have come into contact with the jeweller and his family.

Similarly, in the face of the COVID-19 risk, Jhapa’s Shivasatakshi Municipality has also extended its lockdown by a week.

An executive meeting of the municipality decided to extend the existing lockdown till the midnight of August 31.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 25, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.