Coronavirus: Nepal Police takes action against 2,427 lockdown violators

Nepal Police on Wednesday took action against over 2,400 residents here for defying government guidelines and roaming outside their homes without any valid reason amid the ongoing countrywide lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected 16 people in the country.

The Nepal government on Tuesday extended the lockdown period from April 15 to April 27 as the Himalayan nation continued to witness increase in the number of coronavirus cases.

However, many people continued to defy the lockdown order.

On Wednesday morning, 2,427 lockdown violators were made to stand for nearly three hours on streets after they were found roaming outside without any valid reason.

The law enforcement personnel also lectured them on the coronavirus threat, the sensitivity of the situation and the importance of staying indoors in this time of crisis, Deputy Inspector General Bishwa Raj Pokharel told reporters here.

Police also seized 320 two-wheelers and 50 four-wheelers for violating the lockdown order.

The novel coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan City of central China's Hubei province in November last, has so far killed at least 1,19,000 people globally, including more than 25,000 in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University.