KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population will carry out PCR tests of the returnee migrant workers who arrived home from foreign countries by air and road.

This is in a bid to increase the scope of tests for COVID-19, said Dr Jageshwor Gautam, Spokesperson for the Ministry. The meeting of the high level committee of the Ministry on Sunday took a decision to this effect.

The foreign returnees have to remain in holding centres and quarantine facilities for five days before getting the testing, he said, adding that thereafter they are handed over to the respective local level.

So far, a total of 315,570 suspected people got PCR testing from 27 laboratories across the country. Likewise, employees at government offices inside Singha Durbar will also get PCR tests. Swab samples of the employees would be collected soon, said Dr Gautam.

Swabs of 45,000 people have been collected to find out whether the infection has spread at community level, he said.

Although the infection rate has decreased lately, risks are still there, he said, urging people to take precautions.

“Some situations like increasing infection cases in neighboring countries, dense mobility of people at the places having high volume of population and violation of minimum standards of public health have still put us at high risks,” he said.

Caseload in the country has reached 17,658 and 11,695 have been cured of the virus.