KATHMANDU: The government is making preparations to extend the lockdown yet again for another two weeks after May 7.

According a source at the Ministry of Home Affairs, preparations are underway to extend the lockdown until May 23. The ongoing lockdown which was last extended is expiring on May 7.

“A meeting of the High Level Coordination Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control is taking place today,” an official at the Ministry of Home Affairs told Khabarhub, adding, “We are making a study of the effectiveness of necessity of lockdown. The Ministry of Health is also submitting its report. The lockdown is likely to be extended for two weeks this time.”

According to the Home Ministry, the preparations are underway to strictly implement the lockdown since the new cases were reported in Nepalgunj on Sunday.

“A lot of people have been infected through the transmission of a single person in Banke. We are now tracing those who came into contact with the infected people. It will not be wise to relax the lockdown in this condition,” he added.

Likewise, Prime Minister in a meeting held at Baluwatar yesterday directed Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa to strictly implement the ongoing lockdown.

The government had first enforced the lockdown on March 24 for a week after the second Coronavirus case was reported in Nepal.

The first lockdown had been extended until March 31, the second one was extended until April 7, the third until April 15, the fourth until April 27, while the fifth one is expiring on May 7.

Nepal confirmed six more new COVID-19 cases in Nepalgunj on Sunday, taking the total number of infection cases to 75.

Earlier, on the same day, speaking at a regular press briefing, Dr Bikash Devkota, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, said nine persons in Nepalgunj tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Similarly, a 36-year-old person from Chhapkaiya of Birgunj Municipality-3 also tested positive for the deadly virus yesterday.

The 36-year-old’s swab was found to have been infected during a test at the Teku-based National Public Health Laboratory in Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, 16 among 75 persons receiving treatment for COVID-19 have returned home after recovery.