KATHMANDU: The main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC), has demanded the government to withdraw its decision not to carry out COVID-19 tests after the death.

“The government’s recent decision is grossly wrong,” NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said in a statement on Thursday, “The Nepali Congress urges the government and the concerned bodies to take immediate action and reach a decision on such sensitive issues only with in-depth analysis and serious understanding.”

Spokesperson Sharma said it was the state’s responsibility to conduct a comprehensive test to see if anyone had the infection and be vigilant to prevent it from spreading to others.

The Ministry of Health and Population on Wednesday had instructed the concerned health officials not to carry out COVID-19 tests after the death.

Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, had instructed the health officials not to extract samples from the dead body for tests.

He had said there was no need to test for coronavirus infection, even if the deceased is suspected of having coronavirus.