KANCHANPUR: The Sudurpaschim Health Directorate has confirmed COVID-19 infections in 16 individuals who recently returned from India within the past week.
However, testing efforts at border checkpoints have been hampered by a shortage of testing kits. Daily cases of COVID-19 are being reported among those entering Nepal through the Trinagar checkpoint in Kailali and the Jhulaghat checkpoint in Baitadi.
Due to an insufficient supply of test kits, health desks at these border points are unable to conduct adequate screenings. On Tuesday alone, two more cases were confirmed among returnees from India.
According to the Directorate, one infected person was detected each at the Gaurifanta and Jhulaghat checkpoints. A total of 643 people entered Nepal through various checkpoints in Sudurpaschim on Tuesday. Of them, only 14 were tested, and two were found to be positive.
The Gaddachauki checkpoint, the nearest entry point from Delhi, sees regular traffic from India via Nepal-India friendship buses. However, due to a lack of test kits, health screenings at this key point have not been possible until recently.
Most of the confirmed infections at the Trinagar checkpoint have been among individuals returning from Delhi, indicating a heightened risk of community spread in the Sudurpaschim Province.
The Sudurpaschim Health Directorate has reported that only 370 test kits are currently available in the entire province.
Testing at the Gaddachauki checkpoint in Kanchanpur resumed on Tuesday after 100 kits arrived. Om Prakash Joshi, Chief of the District Health Office in Kanchanpur, confirmed that testing began on the same day.
“We have only received 100 kits, which is insufficient,” Joshi said. “Currently, we are only testing individuals who show symptoms.” On Tuesday, seven symptomatic individuals were tested at Gaddachauki.
At the health desks, workers are also screening returnees for symptoms of malaria and dengue. Bishal Bhatta, head of the Gaddachauki Health Desk, said, “We’ve intensified monitoring of incoming travelers, but due to a shortage of necessary supplies, we can’t conduct proper testing.”
He added that those showing symptoms are advised to isolate themselves from family for at least a week.
Locals have raised concerns over lax enforcement at the checkpoints. Padam Thapa, a resident near Gaddachauki, said, “The government has failed to ensure proper screening. Returnees are bypassing health checks, and security personnel aren’t stopping them.”
He added that vehicles coming from India often cross into Nepal without halting for mandatory screening, and the administration must act to enforce checks more strictly.
Health desks were established at major entry points in Gaddachauki (Kanchanpur), Trinagar (Kailali), Jhulaghat (Baitadi), and Darchula during the early days of the pandemic, but officials now say renewed effort is needed to prevent another outbreak.
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