Kathmandu, March 29 : The government has extended the period of the ban on international flights to Nepal till the coming April 15 as a measure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
A meeting of the high-level committee on the prevention of COVID-19 pandemic held today came up with this decision. Earlier, Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli had announced to restrict the international airplanes from coming to the country by carrying passengers from March 22 to April 1.
Various foreign airline companies continue to fly without any passenger to Nepal so as to take back foreign nationals from here. However, a few of them have been landing in Kathmandu by carrying the passengers, thus defying the government’s ban. So, more than seventy passengers brought illicitly by them in the country have been put into quarantine at Kharipati in the capital.
Likewise, the committee has advised the government to extend the nationwide lockdown for few more days to curb the spread of COVID-19.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers might take the decision as recommended by the committee. It is said that the lockdown is likely to be extended by another week.
