Deuba demands PCR test facility at Nepal-India border

Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has advised the government to ensure PCR test facility along the Nepal-India transit points targeting the India returnee Nepalis.

Organising a press meet at his residence on Friday, the main opposition party leader urged the government to make the PCR tests available along the border areas and send returnees to holding centers until the results come.

Those confirmed of having infected should be send to isolation centres in coordination with the local levels, he asserted. The former Prime Minister accused the government of not becoming serious towards the prevention and control of the virus which as claimed led to the massive spread of the virus.

He warned that villages could be the next hotspots for the virus spread as a large score of people were leaving the Kathmandu Valley for their home amidst the growing infection rate.

He took time to call on the government to utilize the COVID-19 restriction period to do the needful to stem the further spread of the virus. “ The incumbent government is primarily focused on creating gatherings in the name of inauguration and other events and it failed to come up with any substantive step to address the crisis which compels us to face the restrictive order.’’

He also demanded assurance of allowance for medical persons, health workers, cleaning staff and others working on the frontline to deal with the crisis. Leader Deuba called for managing required numbers of employees at government and private health facilities.

The import and supply of vaccines against COVID-19 should be ensured, he demanded. He stressed that all the communities affected by the pandemic should have an access to relief package. On the occasion, he directed the entire party mechanism from the local to central level to engage in a campaign against the virus and face the challenges collectively.

Welcoming the decision of the US Government to assist vaccines for Nepal, he thanked India and China for supplying vaccines to Nepal.

He utilized the moment to call for an effective government monitoring mechanism to make sure the strict implementation of health safety protocols. Deuba also instructed the party people to provide support to those left in difficulty during the crisis.