Nepal extends lockdown till April 7

The Nepal government on Sunday extended the nationwide lockdown by a week till April 7 to check the spread of coronavirus which has claimed over 31,000 lives across the world so far.

In a meeting at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar, the Cabinet decided to extend the lockdown period in view of rising number of coronavirus cases in the country, said Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada.

The decision follows a high-level committee's recommendation to the Council of Ministers that the nationwide lockdown should be extended by a week.

The government had announced a week-long nationwide lockdown on March 24 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Nepal reported its fifth coronavirus case on Saturday after a 19-year-old student, who returned to the country from Belgium via Qatar, tested positive for COVID-19.

All five coronavirus cases in Nepal are imported. Four patients are currently in isolation while one has recovered. Twelve other suspected cases have been isolated.

Health officials said 917 people have been tested for coronavirus in the Himalayan nation, out of whom five tested positive.