DOTI: A large number of people from the Sudurpaschim (far west) region have started returning back to their home abandoning work in India following a surge in Coronavirus cases there.
The people from the region who had gone to India for work have started returning following the second wave of Coronavirus outbreak in India and with the arrival of the Bishu cultural festival.
The Sudurpaschim Province Health Service Directorate Dipayal Rajapur said 11 new Coronavirus cases have been found among India-returnees within a period of five days.
In view of the possibility of the spread of the virus infection in the villages and towns again, the local administrations in the districts of the province have imposed regulations requiring the India-returnees to compulsorily stay in quarantine, as they have started entering the villages and towns without a health screening.
Meanwhile, all the local units in the province have made preparations to set up quarantine facilities after the Ministry of Home’s written communication directing the local bodies to keep the quarantines in ready condition, said Durga Datta Ojha, president of the Federation of Rural Municipality Chairpersons and the Chair of Jorayal rural municipality.
The district administration has also urged the local units to make all preparations and adopt precautionary measures to be safe from COVID-19 risk.
The Province Police Office Dipayal said large crowds of people returning home from India can be seen at border transit points of the Province- Gaddachauki and Trinagar of Kanchanpur district, Dharchula of Darchula district, and Jhulaghat of Baitadi.
Hundreds of people of the Sudurpaschim province are entering daily from these transit points since the last some days.
Provincial health director Dr Gunaraj Awasthi said all preparations have been made for adopting precaution in view of the increased risk of spread again of Coronavirus infection in the province with the large number of people who had gone to India in course of employment have started returning home.
“The number of people returning home from India has increased at the border. We have adopted all necessary precautions and have also paid attention to health examination so as to reduce the risk,” he said.
Spokesperson of the Sudurpaschim Province Police Office Dipayal, Senior Superintendent Mukesh Kumar Singh said that around 1,000 Nepali are entering Nepal via Trinagar and Gaddachauki border points every day.
According to Province Police Office, Dipayal, at least 8,000 Nepali have entered Nepal via these two border points in 10 days.
Sudurpaschim Province Health Directorate, Dipayal, shared that it has sent a circular to district health offices of four districts sharing borders with India in order to carry out antigen tests of suspected persons returned from India.
The district health offices have been urged to make arrangements for the antigen test through the health desk established at Gaddachauki, Trinagar, of Kanchanpur, Jhulaghat of Baitadi, and Darchula, according to Province Health Directorate, Dipayal, Rajpur.
Dirgha Bahadur Kami of Doti, who returned from India, said that health test all of returning from India has not been conducted at border checkpoints.
He opined, “Health desk has been established at border points. But health test is not conducted there. They send returnees home only measuring temperature. No health test related to Coronavirus is carried out at health desk.’
Chief of Health Division of Social Development Ministry of Sudurpaschim Province, Narendra Singh Karki, said that antigen has been sent at the concerned local level for the same.
He added that antigen has been sent in order to carry out the test by the concerned local levels as it has become difficult to carry out health test of everyone at border areas. Health test of India returnees will be carried out at the concerned local level.’
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