Karnali Province: Situation Update Covid-19 Surkhet / 24 April 2020 The government has decided to allow the citizens to reach their destinations. A meeting of the Provincial Crisis Management Center chaired by Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi on April 23 arranged vehicles from outside the province to allow those in the group to reach their destination directly. Has decided The Ministry of Land Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will coordinate with the security agencies of the state government for internal marketing of agricultural products, transportation and concrete planning of imported goods, provision of seeds, fertilizers, medicines, fish, chickens and other necessary requirements for seasonal farming. Likewise, the meeting also decided to request the local level to coordinate and manage the farming, sowing and planting of such households in view of the possible situation of barrenness of the fields due to seasonal farming.

According to INSEC Salyan District Representative Mina Budhathoki, Kumari Bank Limited has provided material assistance to two local levels of Salyan through local branches. The Kapurkot branch has provided financial and material assistance to Kapurkot village municipality. Similarly, Kumari Bank Khalanga branch has donated Rs. 50,000 to Sarada Municipality and Rs. 5,000 has been provided by the employees.

According to INSEC Representative Kali Bahadur Malla, there is a shortage of vegetables and fruits in various markets including the district headquarters Manma, Jite and Pili. Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kalikot, Ratan Bahadur Shahi said that there was a shortage of vegetables and fruits after the transport was stopped due to the strike. Similarly, people stranded in various places due to the lockdown are being rescued and checked at the local health desks. A total of 596 people, including 235 women and 361 men from , Surkhet, and other districts, have returned to their homes for health check-up till April 24, said Information Officer at the Health Office, Kalikot.

According to INSEC Rukum West District Representative Manisha KC, Christian Relief Service has provided materials in different wards of Musikot Municipality.Eighty-one workers who reached Rukum West from Dhading and Kathmandu have returned to the village. Most of the workers who reached the district have been contacted by their local level and they will be kept in quarantine. Meanwhile, the remaining people at the two local levels of the district have undergone rapid testing. A total of 52 people, including 34 in Musikot Municipality and 18 in Athaviskot Municipality, were tested quickly and all of them reported negative, said Ishwor Rawal, Corona Virus Prevention and Control Focal Person at the Health Services Office.

According to INSEC Representative Nanda Singh, prices of daily necessities have increased. The price of daily necessities has gone up from Rs 100 to Rs 150 when going to the market, said local dentist Rawat. Chairperson of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Namgyal Tamang, informed that action would be taken if any price increase was found after monitoring the market. Similarly, a meeting has been held under the chairmanship of Chief District Officer Binita Bhattarai on April 23 regarding the rescue of stranded district residents in different cities of the country.It has been decided to request the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Karnali Province Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law to bring the stranded students and patients in Nepalgunj and other cities by air. The meeting also decided to make arrangements for the rescued to be handed over to the chairperson of the concerned rural municipality and stay in quarantine. Meanwhile, a burglary has taken place at various shops in the main market area of Simkot district headquarters on April 23. According to shop owner Resham Mahat, the theft took place at two shops of Aditya General Store in Kalichowk.The thief also smashed the CCTV set up for security. DSP Ram Prasad Ghartimagar said that the person who came to steal was wearing a mask in the front footage.

According to Representative Dinesh Kumar Shrestha, the teachers working in Nalgad Municipality have deposited three days salary in the disaster fund of the municipality. Chief Administrative Officer Surendra Bahadur Singh informed that a check of Rs. 539,088 was handed over to Mayor Tech Bahadur Rawal.Similarly, the Hill Area Development Campaign has handed over health and sanitation related materials to Shivalaya Municipality to rural Municipality Chairperson Narendra Kumar Shahi. According to Pradipanjang Shah, chairman of the campaign, 3 thermal guns, 1000 hand washing soaps, 10 sanitizers and 11 N95 masks have been provided.

According to INSEC District Representative Mandatta Rawal, the risk has increased in Jumla after the Karnali province government and local government rescued a large number of people recently. Currently, more than 500 people are moving around daily. Earlier, regular checks were carried out in the quarantine of all those who entered the district, but recently, the citizens who entered the district refused to stay in the quarantine. Chief District Officer Durga Banjade said that the number of people entering Jumla has increased drastically in the last three days. He said, "I am against bringing in civilians in the name of rescue. Those who are stranded. The government has clearly instructed to take initiative to manage the same. But there is high competition in the name of recruiting homeless people. 'Chief of Chandannath Municipality Kantika Sejuwal said that 61 people have already left for home quarantine. He said that he was under home quarantine after his condition appeared normal during the health check-up. There is currently no one in the 30-bed quarantine. According to GAP Chairperson Nawaraj Neupane, 78 people have been quarantined in the last two days in Tatopani. According to him, there are many complexities in quarantine management. Similarly, Sinja village chairman Dewal Singh Rawal said that panic has increased in the village after people started coming from outside. No one agrees to stay in quarantine. There are only 4 people in the 55-bed quarantine of the rural municipality. Of the 6,090 people who entered Jumla as of Friday, 180 have been quarantined and 276 have returned home after 14 days. According to the District Administration Office, Jumla, 489 people tested negative for corona.

According to INSEC District Representative Amar Sunar, the Dailekhi Service Society and Volunteer Research Foundation, led by MP Parvati Bishunke, have provided 86 PPE sets and other health items to all 11 local levels of Dailekh. Similarly, 154 families living in Kathmandu have been provided food items including rice, pulses and oil. Chairman of the Foundation Binod Adhikari informed that 427 people have been sent to the district in coordination with the local level.

According to INSEC Representative Bishnu Prasad Devkota, none of the 61 people tested for RDT have tested positive for corona. A team of health workers working at the District Hospital Dolpa has reached various places and is conducting RDT test on the suspect. On April 24, RDT tests were carried out on 28 people, including 20 from Tripurakot Quarantine and 8 from Fokshundo Basic Quarantine in Tripura Sundari Municipality. According to District Hospital Health Service Chief Sijan Rawal, a four-member team led by Dr. Ramesh Roka is being sent to Uplo Dolpa on April 26 for RDT testing of 25 people from India at Dho of Dolpobuddha rural municipality and Kakkot of Charkatangsong rural municipality. Similarly, only 140 kits for RDT testing have arrived in Dolpa, so there may be a shortage of kits in the coming days, Rawal said.

According to INSEC Surkhet District Representative Durga Thapa, the returning citizens have been rescued in coordination with the Karnali State Government and local administration.Chief of the District Public Health Service Office, Surkhet, Chetan Nidhi Wagle said that 2,131 people were rescued from the Babai Bridge on April 23 and 1,020 on April 24. Similarly, 210 people have been accommodated in the quarantine at in Surkhet on April 22. The capacity of the quarantine is also 210. INSEC Karnali Province Office, Surkhet