Kavre, July 27

The government has started collecting swab samples from passengers entering Kathmandu valley from different districts of the Tarai through its eastern entry point in Kavre.

According to COVID-19 Prevention and Control Command Post member secretary and District Health Office Chief Dr Narendra Jha, a team of experts from the Health Emergency Operation Centre under the Ministry of Health and Population is collecting swab samples in Sanga.

“In a move to prevent the further spread of the virus, swab collection of passengers has started from yesterday afternoon,” he said.

“The test results will let us know whether infection in the valley entered through the entry point,” Jha said.

“We are collecting nasal swab from passengers coming from Tarai districts where the infection has been reported.

We collect the personal details and contact number of all those whose swabs are collected so that we can contact them immediately if they test positive,” said Banepa Town Health Chief Satyashwar Makai.

The swab samples are being collected in two shifts from Monday to Thursday. The test report of the swab samples will be made public in 24 hours.

As per the plan, four thousand swabs will be collected from Sanga entry point. The teams will also collect swab samples from security personnel and staff deployed at the entry point directly.

The centre plans to conduct PCR tests on 10,000 passengers entering the valley from three entry points, including Sanga, Nagdhunga and Pharping.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 28, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.