2 Chinese nationals, feared to be infected with coronavirus, go missing in Nepal

Two Chinese nationals, suspected to be infected with coronavirus and referred to a hospital to be quarantined, have gone missing in Nepal's Pokhara. The authorities have launched a search operation to trace the two.

The two (a man and a woman) had arrived in Nepal around three weeks ago on tourist visas. They were referred to the Manipal Teaching Hospital of Pokhara by Swakan International Hospital last week after they showed symptoms similar to that of coronavirus infections. However, the two are said to be untraceable since then.

"We are searching for them," Mahendra Shrestha, spokesperson at Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population told reporters here.

Though they have been reported missing since last week, Shrestha, claimed that the ministry hasn't been informed officially about the two individuals until Wednesday afternoon.

"They should have reported to us; it should have been reported to us by Provincial Health Emergency Operation Centre. They might also have done it, I don't know about that," Shrestha said.

"They were showing signs that relate to coronavirus infection but we cannot confirm it without making proper tests. They first came to Swakan Hospital on Sunday evening and were having fever," Dr. Dipendra Thapa, who referred the two Chinese nationals to Manipal Hospital, told ANI over phone.

The tourists are reported to have arrived in Nepal from China's Yunnan Province around three weeks ago.

The government of Nepal is yet to decide over the place to quarantine its citizens that are planned to be evacuated from China where 2019-nCoV has broken out.

"Currently, a close discussion is underway but no decision has been made. There is no other information that has been passed onto us because the team working on it is different, secretaries themselves are a member of it. When that information reaches us, then only we can say," Sagar Dahal, Information Officer at Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population, told reporters on Wednesday as the deadline set by it neared.

The Ministry of Health and Population in a press meet on Sunday had stated that details about the evacuation of Nepali nationals from China would be made within 3-4 days.