The government has decided that the week-long prohibitory orders imposed in the Kathmandu Valley yesterday should be extended to 15 days.
Prohibitory orders will now begin as scheduled from Thursday, 29th April, 06:00 am onward, but is likely to end only at midnight, 14th May, 2021
A Cabinet meeting held in Baluwatar yesterday took the decision to this effect after reviewing the district administration offices’ decision.
“Though the district administration offices have announced week-long prohibitory orders, the Cabinet has decided that it should be extended for 15 days. Now, the district administration offices will follow the same decision,” said Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel.
An official announcement of the decision, however, has not yet been made.
As per the Council of Ministers, the rate of spread of COVID-19 within Kathmandu Valley is extremely high, and 15 days period is minimum to curb the spread, as that is the recommended time for isolation.
Minister of Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi said that the Cabinet had given local administrations the right to impose prohibitory orders after studying the severity of COVID spread in respective areas.
“The Council of Ministers has decided in principle that prohibitory orders can be issued for 15 days,” he said.
He added that the local administration offices will not be allowed to issue a sudden injunction.
“Prohibitory orders should be issued in such a manner that the general public has the time to manage resources and travel to their hometowns if they want to,” he said.
Nepal recorded 3,442 new cases of COVID-19 across the country on Monday. Of the 3,442, as many as 1,912 cases were from the Kathmandu Valley alone.
Restrictions and provisions will remain the same as announced by the district administration offices on Monday.
RESTRICTIONS:
- All types of congregations, seminars, trainings, cinema halls, party palaces, swimming pools, shopping malls, recreation centres, salons, beauty parlours, gymnasiums, sports arenas, libraries, museums, and zoo will remain shut during the prohibitory period.
- All private and public vehicles other than those providing emergency services will be barred from plying the streets of the Kathmandu Valley.
- Ambulances, supply vehicles, and vehicles carrying health professionals and security personnel will be allowed to enter the Kathmandu Valley.
- Vehicles used by essential service providers — drinking water services, health services, food, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products delivery, banks, financial institutions, telecommunications, internet, quarantine and isolation centres, ambulances, waste management and supply — will be allowed to operate.
- Government employees will be allowed to drive their vehicles with passes issued by the ministries or departments concerned.
- Abroad travelers, in possession of visa, air ticket, and passports, will be allowed to hail taxies to travel to the airport.
- Vehicles carrying essential goods, as well as supply stores, will have to fix a window period for operation. Food stores can open till 10:00 in the morning and between 5:00 and 7:00 in the evening. Department stores will be allowed to open only their grocery section from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
- No more than 15 people can gather for religious functions, that too after acquiring permission from the respective district administration offices.
- People entering valley will have to stay in quarantine or isolation, as per the local governments’ rules.
