Nepal intensifies vigil along border with India to control spread of coronavirus

The Nepal government has stepped up measures along the border with India to control the possible spread of coronavirus after 31 confirmed cases of the viral infection were detected in India.

As part of the measures, the government has set up health desks at Nepalgunj and Bhadrapur airports located at Nepal-India border, officials said.

The government has also deployed health teams in 37 border points. Security personnel will also be mobilised along with the health workers, they said.

Nepal has so far reported only one case of coronavirus and the person infected with the virus has already been treated.

Health check-ups have been intensified in the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, officials said.

A man from Delhi with a travel history to Thailand and Malaysia has tested positive for COVID19, taking the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India to 31, health ministry officials in Delhi said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) in Parliament on Friday moved a motion of urgent national importance calling for further stepping up measures to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus in the Himalayan nation.

Presenting the motion, NC lawmaker Gagan Thapa asked the government to launch an integrated programme and formulate an action plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19.