KATHMANDU: A meeting of the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Coordination Committee led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense on Saturday decided to strictly address issues relating to the virus through joint efforts.
The meeting held at the Office of Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers took a decision to quarantine suspicious people and minimize infection risks, said Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada. Security agencies, Health Ministry and other stakeholders would help in this regard.
The meeting also mooted the need to review the effectiveness of government-initiated preventive measures. The committee has decided to strictly implement measures such as keeping suspects at quarantine and isolation and maintaining protocols during health checkups to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The high-level committee dwelt on developing an action plan to implement the measures included in Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s address to the nation and monitor the effectiveness of the implementation measures.
The committee also discussed reassessing the risks of COVID-19 and keep high alert preventive measures.
Home and health ministers would lead the process to quarantine suspicious people. It was decided to urge local levels to enlist the spaces provided to set up quarantine areas and manage security and other necessary things.
The government was at work to operate quarantine service through a one-door policy, it has been informed.
Public, private and government media houses would be mobilized to cooperate in fighting the infection, said Khatiwada.
The meeting has also decided to purchase the goods by the Ministry of Health and Population in the country to troubleshoot the problems of health materials’ supplies by taking funds from the Ministry of Finance.
However, in the case of goods that are not available in the local market, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would proceed with the procurement process through the embassies at the earliest possible time.
Furthermore, a committee under the leadership of the Ministry of Supplies is formed to facilitate the supplies of goods through effective monitoring.
The high-level committee led by the Deputy Prime Minister will monitor whether or not the decisions were effectively implemented.
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