Province 2 at high risk of COVID, no strict measures implemented at border

JANAKPURDHAM: India’s COVID infection is spreading rapidly, with districts bordering province no 2 at high risk.

The risk of infection has increased after those who went to work in India started returning home to celebrate Holi. No health check-up has been arranged till there is a crowd of people crossing the border. Help desks operated in the past are also closed. No one has even prepared a new help desk.

Security officials say it is not possible to test everyone returning from India as strictly as possible due to the open border. Residents of the border areas depend on the Indian market. As they are cheaper, they reach the Indian market in the border areas to buy most of the food items which has increased the risk.

State Police Chief DIG Dhiraj Pratap Singh claims that the citizens returning from India are being tested at the main checkpoints. However, they could not confidently say about the checkpoints where the test was being conducted. He said that as the number of people returning from India started increasing as Holi approached, the security personnel deployed at the border area were instructed to be careful as the risk of COVID increased. According to DIG Singh, those returning from India have been asked to be sent to the hospital if they show symptoms of COVID-19.

Despite the request of the Ministry of Health to take precaution saying that the COVID pandemic may spread again in Nepal, the province does not seem to take those instructions seriously.

The Saptari, Bara, Rautahat and Parsa administrations have also issued warnings not to go near the crowd and to wear masks. The administration’s request is limited only to information. The Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sarlahi District Administration Offices have not issued any notice.

The 15-day Mithila Madhyamiki cycle from Kachuri of Dhanusha is going on. Thousands of saints and devotees from Nepal and India are participating in the procession. The administration has not been able to show interest in adhering to health standards in various areas of India and Mahottari.

Participants in the cycle rally are getting sick. The team rested on Wednesday. There was a crowd of people taking medicine at the free health camp run there. Doctors said that most of them had fever and chills.

Chief District Officer of Dhanusha, Bandhu Prasad Bastola, admitted that some preparations could not be made due to the rally. He said the rally would be closed in two days and if it was closed in the middle, it would send a wrong message.

According to Prajia Bastola, a pre-meeting of the Chief District Officers and security agencies of the eight districts of Province 2 is being held to control the infection and prepare the necessary strategy and action plan.

Thirty-six active cases of COVID  have been found in Province 2. According to the Ministry of Social Development, 209 people have died of COVID  infection in the state so far. 16 thousand 984 people have been recovered from infection.