Kathmandu DAO issues order, guidelines to contain pandemic

Kathmandu District Administration Office (DAO) today issued 14-point orders to be obeyed by all the citizens for preventing the spread of coronavirus including new variants as the cases have been rapidly rising of late. 

The DAO in the notice said the order has been issued as per the government decision made for implementation, in a letter sent by the Peace, Security and Crime Control Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The issued orders mostly focus on taking health safety measures.

As per the order, all the educational institutions including school, college, tuition centre and training centre will have to operate virtual classes till the end of Baisakh (May 14).

Likewise, prescheduled examinations and practical classes of medical education faculty have to be conducted adopting health protocols.

The entertainment sections including cinema hall, party palace, dance bar, theatre, health club, gym club, swimming pool, futsal, meeting, mass gathering, demonstration, fair market among other public gatherings have been ordered to shut down till mid-May.

As the department store and shopping mall have been allowed to operate only after following safety measures, the number of people at one place should not be more than 25 in these places as well as the ceremony being organised for wedding and other religious purposes. The authorities may grant permission to hold a ceremony under the condition of following strict health safety measures. The permission will not be needed if the ceremony is to be held within the compound of the personal property under the condition that the number of people at the gathering does not cross 25.

To contain the pandemic, the DAO has urged the general public to limit the religious rituals and prayers to a brief one that can be carried out on daily basis after mid-May.

The DAO has also directed the public transportation to provide services compulsorily adopting safety measures like wearing masks, using sanitisers, disinfection of vehicles on daily basis, and providing mask to passengers not wearing them, at Rs 10. The public vehicles will not be allowed to carry passengers more than the seats available while the vehicles operating on the long route will not be allowed to pick up passengers on the way. Further, the transportation staff will have to provide the details of passengers to the District COVID-19 Risk Management Centre (DCCMC), the DAO said.

The shops and offices should not allow anybody without a mask but could offer a mask at Rs 10 before allowing them in.

Likewise, hotels and restaurants have been ordered to operate between 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

The DAO has further urged one and all to take precautions and safety measures and to dispose of the used masks after keeping them in an enclosed package for at least five days. Likewise, returnees from abroad will have to stay in home quarantine for at least 10 days even after testing negative in the PCR test during the contact tracing period. The one who has undergone the PCR test must avoid physical contact with others till the report comes out negative.

All the citizens have been called to support those staying in quarantine or isolation at the local level. The person suffering from any health complexity should immediately contact the health professionals or visit a hospital.

Anyone found violating the order issued by the DAO will be liable to punishment as per the Communicable Disease Act 2020.

The Ministry of Health and Population Tuesday reported 1,667 new cases of coronavirus infection in Nepal taking the tally to 287,567. It has been noted that the recovery rate has also been dropping every day.