Nepal is preparing to cut aviation service with a few countries to prevent coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Officials are discussing to stop aviation service with China, South Korea and a few other countries suffering from coronavirus outbreak. Chief Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi is coordinating with the officials concerned about the matter.
The government is also preparing to stop conferences involving international guests for some time. The Sagarmatha Dialogue scheduled to be hosted by the government from April2-4 also looks set to be stopped.
An official confirmed with Setopati that the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday evening is likely to take decision to stop aviation service with the affected countries and conferences involving international guests.
The coronavirus outbreak that started in the Chinse city of Wuhan in December has already spread to over 50 countries. Iran, South Korea and Italy are the hardest hit after China.
The meeting called by Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli at Baluwatar on Saturday to discuss preparations to stop coronavirus outbreak had formed a high level coordination committee under Deputy PM and Defense Minister Ishwore Pokharel.
The committee also including home, tourism, health and education ministers will now take necessary decisions about the virus, according to Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai. "Decision has been taken to intensify checks at the airport, boosting stock of medicines and health equipment, and adding health personnel in health desks for now," Bhattarai told Setopati.
Temperature of all passengers arriving to Nepal from foreign countries will now be taken. Anyone with a temperature higher than 100 degree Fahrenheit will be sent to isolation ward, according to a ministry source.
Temperature of passengers coming from China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia was measured until now. Two thermal scanners were installed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for the purpose but one of the scanners broke down less than two weeks after installation.
Passengers will now have to suffer as all passengers coming to Nepal will have to be checked with just a single scanner.
The Health Ministry has already initiated procurement process to install two more thermal scanners at the TIA. The source claimed that the two scanners will arrive within two weeks.
PM Oli had called the meeting on Saturday after the World Health Organization (WHO) put Nepal among high-risk countries for outbreak.
Only one person has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
First round of check-up on all the 175 persons rescued from Wuhan on February 16 has not showed infection.
Samples have been collected from the rescued persons, who are quarantined at Kharipati, for final check-up. The government will send them home if the results, that are to arrive two days later, also come clean.
