Health desks to be set up at entry points of Kathmandu

The District COVID-19 Risk Management Centre has decided to set up health desks at the entry points of the Kathmandu district in view of the second wave of COVID-19.

The respective metropolis and municipalities will manage the health desks for health check-up and antigen test of people flocking to the capital city, as per the decision that has been made public by the Kathmandu District Administration Office (DAO) today.  The municipalities will collect the contact details of the people. Likewise, the health offices will provide Antigen Kit for the same. If anyone tested negative on the antigen test but still showed the symptoms of coronavirus, the swab samples will be sent further for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

The meeting also decided to urge all the metropolis and municipalities in the district to keep the isolation and quarantine centres up to date. All the municipalities will have to operate at least one isolation centre and a quarantine centre.

Likewise, the health offices and security agencies will have to promote various awareness programmes publicising to adopt the health protocols and even impose punishments on those found violating the safety measures.

Similarly, the health workers and teachers in the schools in Kathmandu will be mobilised to heighten public awareness of COVID-19.

The metropolises and municipalities have been accorded with responsibilities of conducting investigation and contact tracing of the infection cases. 

The meeting decided to appeal to the stakeholders and concerned sectors to coordinate with one another to include students, teachers in the vaccination drive being carried on from Wednesday with the China-manufactured COVID vaccine. Nepali students (from age 18 to 59 years) studying in China; importers of Chinese goods and products; staff and representatives working at institutions including hotel, trekking agencies, advertisement field, internet, drugstore; teachers and other workers in schools in Kathmandu will be inoculated In the vaccination drive being carried on from tomorrow.

Likewise, the meeting decided to urge the authorities to make available telephone and mobile tunes with information on COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the District COVID-19 Risk Management Centre has also decided to ban the programmes to be held in public places and such gathering and meeting will only be allowed in the case of utmost importance and adopting the health protocols set by the government.

The neighbouring countries and some others abroad have seen a surge in coronavirus infection with the detection of new variants of the virus of late. India today reported 96,982 new coronavirus infections overnight, taking the overall tally of cases to 12.7 million.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population today reported 260 new cases of coronavirus infection in Nepal. The addition of new cases has taken the country's COVID-19 tally to 278,470.