Kathmandu, March 18: As a part of the preparedness to counter the global pandemic of Covid-19, the government has decided to ban travels to Nepal from all European countries, Gulf countries, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. Even the educational institutions- schools and colleges- are asked to close its all activities till April 12.
Even the transit in the above-mentioned countries will be prohibited from entering Nepal starting midnight of 20 March until April 15. Information on the prohibition will be circulated to the relevant diplomatic missions and departments. The meeting of the high-level coordination committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ishwor Pokhrel on control of Covid-19 took this decision on Wednesday evening.
The meeting urged all not to make movements except essential conditions. Gathering of more than 25 people in cultural, social and other activities at party palaces, temples, monasteries, mosques, and churches are restricted. Monitoring of these activities will be done by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Similarly, provisions will be made to offer treatment in certain community and private hospitals identified by the Ministry for Health and Population, to the patients who require treatment for the COVID-19 infection.
Cinema halls, cultural centers, stadiums, sports venues, gyms, health clubs, museums, swimming pools, dance bars, clubs, and other entertainment venues will remain closed until April 30. The monitoring of this directive will be done by the Home Ministry; Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Moreover, provincial and local level governments will also monitor decisions 2 and 3, the high-level committee decided. Public transportation entrepreneurs are asked to ensure vehicles not to carry passengers over the capacity. The public will be requested not to travel on crowded public transport.
The Nepal Police is to monitor this decision. Public transportation vehicle owners will be instructed to carry out disinfection of vehicles from time to time every day and prior to operation. This will be monitored by the Transportation Management Department and Nepal Police. Places of public importance and where crowds are likely shall be disinfected by local levels (metropolitan, sub-metropolitan, municipality and rural municipality) at certain time intervals on a daily basis. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Provincial Government and Local Government will coordinate for monitoring of this decision.
The government further decided to immediately prosecute all those who engage in hoarding, black marketeering, adulteration of goods and creating artificial shortages. Provisions shall be made for visa extension for foreign nationals who are unable to return to their home countries due to travel restrictions imposed on them- if they file an application within the current visa deadlines. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to coordinate on these arrangements
In case of the cancellation of flights during the period of travel advisory by the government of Nepal or cancellation by the airline company itself, the government shall instruct all airlines to reimburse full fare to their passengers and not to charge any fees in case of data exchanges. This directive will be monitored by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
The proprietors/management of hotels, restaurants and shopping malls will be providing sanitizer to clean customers’ hands and will also regularly sanitize tables, chairs, bars, railings, and toilets. Likewise, these businesses are required to have thermometers on hand to measure temperature and conduct health screening of all people entering these places.
Masks which are seized by the government of Nepal as a result of illegal hoarding and shortage creation will be managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which will dispatch up to five hundred thousand seized masks to the Ministry of Health and Population, and arrangements will be made for further distribution of remaining masks through the Shared Health Service Co-Operative Limited. Likewise, strict action will be taken as per existing law against those producing fake news including on social media. RSS
