Chadani Acharya

Lamki, June 2: While the risk of spread of the novel coronavirus has increased with the increased number of people returning home from India, it has also created pressure on the management of the quarantine at the local levels. Over 2,300 people have been placed in the school-turned quarantine locations of the Ghodaghodi municipality in Kailali district.

All those who are in the quarantine of 49 schools of 12 wards of the municipality are the India-returnees. And there are 4 to 151 people in these quarantines.

Subodh Kumar Sharma, head teacher of Rastriya Secondary School, Taranagar, where 151 people are kept, said problems have surfaced as so many people were using only eight toilets and taps of the schools. He pointed that risk of the novelcoronavirus infection had increased as the toilets and taps were used beyond their capacity.

"We have felt greater risk of getting infected here than on the way from New Delhi to this place. We would have preferred home based quarantine over here had we had the chance to get tested at the border and go home directly," said Nisanta Budha Magar, a resident of Ghodaghodi-4, who is presently in the quarantine.

People kept in the quarantine fear that infection may spread among them all if one of them has been infected as they are kept in the school-turned quarantine beyond the capacity of the facility, especially in this hot summer season in Terai.  They are also worried about spreading infection to their family members who fetch them food from home.

Meal was provided to all in the quarantine as long as the number was not so large, but with the increased number of the people in quarantine, arrangement has been made so that they get food from their own home, said Mamata Prasad Chaudhari, Mayor of the Municipality.

Mayor Chaudhari said about six thousand of the total who had gone to different cities of India for job from the Municipality were returning home soon.

"We have been trying our best, we will do as much as our resources are capable of. We have urged all to keep patient and maintain restrain as risk has increased with the rise in number," he said.

11 test positive out of 211 RDT

Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) of 211 people kept in quarantine in different wards of the Municipality has been conducted. Of them, 11 people have tested positive for the virus in the RDT. They have been kept separately and preparations are underway to collect their swabs and send to Dhanagadhi for PCR test.

Published on: 2 June 2020 | The Rising Nepal