(Ramesh Giri)
Establishment of quarantine for the Nepali students being evacuated from coronavirus-hit Wuhan Province of China has been ready here. The Department of Health under the Ministry of Health and Population shared this information organizing a press conference at Changunarayan municipality on Wednesday.
The quarantine has been set up at the training centre of Nepal Electricity Authority based at Kharipati of Bhaktapur. The Health Ministry was working in collaboration with other ministries and concerned agencies to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.
"With the establishment of isolation centre, coordination was made with the Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Tourism, Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force to keep the returnee students in the isolation," said Director at Shukraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Dr Basudev Pande, adding high level of alertness was maintained to reduce the threat of coronavirus. He asserted that the Nepalis being brought from Wuhan of China would not have infection. However, as per the international standard, quarantine is imperative, Dr Pande informed.
According to him, the team heading to China to bring the students will however be lodged at the Drinking Water Training Centre. The team to head for Wuhan, China, has the technical team, pilot and co-pilot, airhostess.
Similarly, Hospital’s doctor Phanindra Prasad Baral said adequate arrangement was made to disinfect the building, rooms and the materials to be used for quarantine.
The returnees will have regular health checkup, be transferred to isolation in case of suspicion, he added. Before boarding, they would have health checked in China and those without symptoms would be brought to Nepal, he further said, they would have further check up at airport during the arrival in Nepal.
Five buses have been arranged to ferry them from airport to Kharipati quarantine.
The male ones will be accommodated in two buildings, while the females at a building. The quarter with director will have a doctor and a nurse. Condition of fever is measured every day and in case of suspicion, referral is made to the Teku based hospital.
However, Changunarayan municipality mayor Somprasad Mishra has vented ire against government decision to lodge the Wuhan returnees in the NEA training centre of Kharipati.