Bajura, May 8

As per the standard practice, anyone who has spent 14 days in quarantine must be tested for coronavirus before being sent home, but that is not happening in Bajura.

There are some 338 persons staying in different quarantine facilities across the district. However, due to lack of testing kits, anyone who completes two-week isolation period is being sent home without undergoing tests.

“As there are no testing kits, there is no other option but to send the people, who complete the minimum isolation period, home. We’ve, however, asked them to stay in home quarantine for one more week. We are hopeful that we will get the necessary kits within a week and then all of them will be tested,” said District Health Office Chief Dayakrishna Panta.

As per data, 26 persons —  four in Khaptad Chhededaha Rural Municipality, six in Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality and 16 in Jagannath Rural Municipality — have been sent home without conducting any test.

After the authority in the district started keeping everyone, who entered the district in quarantine facilities, the number of quarantined persons has increased in all quarantine facilities of the district.

Now, 70 persons in Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality, 69 in Budhiganga Municipality and 54 in Tribeni Municipality have been staying in quarantine facilities. Bajura has a total of 37 quarantine centres in its nine local levels.

Though the number of people staying in government quarantine facilities has increased, these facilities do not meet the government  criteria.

While shortage of food and other basic facilities are immediate problems facing these quarantine facilities, the district hasn’t even managed health workers for regular health check-up of the quarantined people.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 9, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.