WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 53 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 37.2 C 6.3 C Saturday, April 18, 2020 | 06-01-2077 Dhangadi Jumla With 14 new cases, Nepal’s Covid-19 tally doubles in a single day Twelve cases in Udayapur and two in Chitwan mark a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections, bringing country’s total to 30. ARJUN POUDEL and send the patients to the KATHMANDU, APRIL 17 isolation ward at Koshi Hospital,” said Pahadi. Fourteen new Covid-19 cases were Public health experts said that the confirmed on Friday in Udayapur and virus could have spread to nearby Chitwan districts, nearly doubling communities and stressed active case Nepal’s tally to 30. finding, which has not yet started. According to the Health Ministry, 12 “We can assume that the disease Covid-19 cases were confirmed in has spread in the community at some Udayapur and two in Chitwan via the level by the pattern in which it has polymerase chain reaction method. spread in countries across the globe,” Of the 14 new patients from both Dr Anup Subedee, a consultant infec- districts, 13 are males between the tious disease physician, told the Post. ages of 20 and 40 while one is a 63-year- “We have to strengthen our surveil- old woman. lance system and start active case An official at the Health Ministry finding.” said that among the 12 patients infect- The government has not yet started ed with the coronavirus in Udayapur, active case finding, which entails test- a majority are Indian nationals. Their ing all suspects, including those with samples were first tested in Birgunj on symptoms of Covid-19 and randomised POST PHOTO: PRAKASH CHANDRA TIMILSENA Thursday. testing at the community level. Freshly planted rice terraces in Dhading. Despite the nationwide lockdown enforced to stem the spread of Covid-19, farmers are carrying on with agricultural activities in ways that are possible. After they showed positive results, The Health Ministry had earlier the samples were dispatched to the decided to mobilise female communi- National Public Health Laboratory in ty health volunteers to look for possi- Kathmandu, which confirmed the ble coronavirus patients but due to the presence of the coronavirus. indecision of the government to start All 12 patients had been residing in active case finding, these volunteers Government deal to procure medical equipment via three a mosque, according to Dr Basudev have not been able to report cases of Pandey, director of the Epidemiology fever and persistent cough to higher and Disease Control Division. authorities. private companies raises questions over Nepal Army’s role Samples of two patients, a mother “Active case finding must be started and son, from Chitwan were also test- immediately,” said Subedee. ed and confirmed at the National “Otherwise, we cannot control the out- Health department officials say they were unable to wait any longer for the Army to procure urgently required supplies. Public Health laboratory. The duo had break. We don’t have much time.” returned home from the United Positive results on the rapid diag- Kingdom, according to Pandey. nostic test but not on the polymerase ANIL GIRI & BINOD GHIMIRE contract to procure medical equip- ernment assigned the Army in the medical equipment even after weeks. Dipak Kumar Pahadi, the Udayapur chain reaction method confirms that KATHMANDU, APRIL 17 ment to a private company ran into first place. The department on Thursday Chief District Officer, said that pre- more people have already contracted controversy, with two Cabinet minis- Officials at the Department of signed three separate agreements liminary information showed that the the virus, say doctors. Two weeks since the Nepal Army was ters accused of corruption, the gov- Health Services said that since several with Om Surgical, Hamro Medi 12 patients had all arrived in Udayapur “Those infected might have passed mandated to procure medical equip- ernment had asked the Nepal Army to government hospitals are either run- Concern and Lumbini Health Care to from Biratnagar via Saptari. They are it on to others before getting cured,” ment needed to fight Covid-19 through do the job. ning out or facing an acute shortage import the medical goods. believed to have visited Bodebarsain Dr Baburam Marasini, former a government-to-government deal, the But two weeks later, the Army has of medical equipment, the Health “We are aware of the past contro- Municipality in Saptari to participate director of the Epidemiology and national defence force has yet to make yet to bring in the first consignment. Ministry was under pressure, as the versy so we met all requirements in a religious conference held on Disease Control Division, told the any progress. Private companies And the government has now signed country has started seeing a rise in while handing over the responsibility February 15-17, he said. Post. “Every policymaker and expert meanwhile are preparing to bring in agreements with three private firms the number of Covid-19 cases. A sen- for importing the medical goods to Police have meanwhile cordoned in the Health Ministry knows this, but medical equipment within a week’s to import emergency medical sup- ior official at the department told the private firms,” said Mahendra off the mosque and the surrounding has not bothered to start active case time, according to the Department of plies, including personal protective Post that the deals with the private Bahadur Shrestha, director-general of areas, and restricted people’s move- findings.” Health Services. equipment, N95 masks and gloves, firms were signed on short notice, the Department of Health Services. ment. Dilli Ram Khatiwada contributed After an earlier decision to award a raising questions as to why the gov- after the Army failed to import the >> Continued on page 4 “We are planning to seal the area reporting from Udayapur. The lockdown is turning people into couch potatoes Stuck inside home, many are spending hours on the couch and in front of screens, increasing the risk of various health issues. ELISHA SHRESTHA heading to work, I used to KATHMANDU, APRIL 17 go for a walk,” he said. “However, the pandemic Ever since the lockdown and the confinement meas- was implemented, Hari ures have disrupted my Shakya hasn’t left his home routine and, unknowingly, unless it’s for something I have turned into a couch essential, such as getting potato. As a result, I’ve medicine for his diabetes been suffering from consti- or for food. At home, the pation.” 50-year-old spends most of The Covid-19 pandemic his time in front of the lap- has thrown everyone’s life top, working from home or into disarray, and as a watching movies. When he means to control the spread is not in front of the com- of the disease, the public puter, he is on the couch, has been requested to stay either eating or watching at home. But being stuck at television. home for prolonged periods For the past three weeks, of time has not only dis- Shakya’s daily routine has rupted lives and schedules become pretty much the but also given rise to seden- same: spending excessive tary behaviours. As a amounts of time lying result, doctors are con- down, moving from bed to cerned about the negative desk to couch. Only recent- effects that low levels of ly has Shakya started to physical activity and a sed- realise that being stuck at entary lifestyle can have on home might be taking a toll the health and well-being on his health. of individuals. “Every morning, before >> Continued on page 4 C M Y K SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 | 02 MEDLEY Inside the Post Quote of the day Government deal to procure medical equipment via three private National companies raises questions over Nepal Army’s role, Page 1 Hundreds of Nepali workers are likely to be deprived from the general amnesty scheme announced by the Kuwait government to illegal expatriates. The scheme exempts illegal immigrants from the penalty of overstaying in Kuwait and also “We are aware of the past controversy offers free air tickets if residency rule violators agree to join the amnesty. so we met all requirements while handing over the responsibility for Money Debt-ridden Nepal Airlines is pleading with the Civil Aviation Ministry to help importing the medical goods to save it from going under amid Covid-19 losses. The airlines has written to its line ministry asking for a complete waiver of interest on its loans for six months. private firms.” Mahendra Bahadur Shrestha, director-general of the Department of Health World Services, on contracting private firms to import medical equipment. At least 50 percent more people died in China’s virus epicenter of Wuhan than previously counted, with state media on Friday attributing the initial undercount to how overwhelmed the health system was coping with thousands of sick patients. Most read online Sports Qatar used coronavirus pandemic as a ruse to expel Nepali La Liga has been on hold since March 10 due to the pandemic although president Javier Tebas has said matches could start up again on either May 29, June 7 or migrant workers, Amnesty International says June 28, most likely without spectators. The Qatari authorities used the global health pandemic of Covid-19 as a cov- er-up to expel Nepali migrant workers illegally, according to Amnesty International. The human rights advocacy group has accused the Qatari author- Books ities of rounding and expelling dozens of migrant workers after telling them Sudheer Sharma’s ‘The Nepal Nexus: An Inside Account of the Maoists, the that they were being taken to be tested for Covid-19 in March.