KATHMANDU, AUGUST 19

Birgunj bench of Janakpur High Court has extended its interim order issued against Province 2 government in which it had asked the provincial government to have adequate number of dedicated hospitals for COVID-19 patients, ramp up PCR testing and strictly enforce bar on people’s movement across the border with India.

A division bench of judges Abdul Aziz Musalman and Ramesh Kumar Pokharel issued the order in response to a writ petition filed by Advocate Sudhir Kumar Karna.

The court also asked Province 2 government to present within seven days a report on how it had complied with the court order and how it planned to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stating that the provincial government had failed to give details of its efforts to control COVID-19, the court asked the provincial government to do the needful within the next seven days.

The bench asked the provincial government to make maximum efforts to ramp up PCR testing and contact tracing.

The bench also asked the provincial government to ensure that people can buy essential goods in a safe manner at a certain time of the day during the period when prohibitory orders have been enforced in some parts of the province.

According to the petitioner, the court also asked the government to ensure that the last rites of those who die due to COV- ID-19 should be performed as per their families’ traditions and rituals.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 20, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.