Nepal bans arrival of nationals from 55 countries

Kathmandu: In a move to curb the spreading global Coronavirus pandemic, the Nepal government has imposed a strict ban on the arrival of nationals from at least 55 countries which are considered mostly infected by the COVID-19 presently.

Government’s high-level team meeting held on Wednesday in Kathmandu issued the travel directory which stated that nationals of all countries of Europe, western Asian countries, Gulf countries, Iran, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan arriving in Nepal or having transit points in Nepal have been banned with effect from March 20 to April 15.

The government sources also said that the country can go for complete lockdown at any time which depends upon the gravity of the Coronavirus situation in the country.

The government has asked people not to come out of the houses without any necessity. All colleges and schools have been asked to lockdown for at least one month. Dance bars, gyms and cinema halls have also been asked to lockdown for the time being.

The lethal epidemic Coronavirus known as COVID-19 which spread from mainland China has already claimed the lives of over 7,989 people globally with maximum deaths in China only and around 198,712 people (in more than 160 countries) being infected around the world.

COVID-19 has insidiously affected tourism worldwide, including Nepal. Nepal continues to scramble for preventive measures with limited resources.