April 8: The government has decided to extend the suspension of international flights to and from Tribhuvan International Airport till April 30.
The government had earlier announced suspension of all flights – international and domestic – till April 15 considering the threat of posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The government took such decision on Tuesday (April 7) upon the recommendation of the high-level committee to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country, informed government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada.
Khatiwada said after a meeting of the high-level committee that the flight suspension has been extended as the risks of imported cases of coronavirus have not subsided yet.
He further said that the committee is yet to take any decision on whether to continue suspension of domestic flights or not. According to Khatiwada, a decision regarding domestic flights will be taken within a few days.
The meeting also decided to conduct rapid diagnostic tests in the districts identified as highly vulnerable to the disease, especially the ones where new cases were detected on Saturday.
Khatiwada, who holds the portfolio of finance and communication minister, said that the government has so far distributed relief to 114,316 families. He added that altogether 30,506 people are currently kept in quarantine facilities across the country.
Likewise, he said that police have taken action against around 2600 people for defying the lockdown order. All of them have been released after proper counseling, said the minister.
Meanwhile, 2235 vehicles have been impounded for operating without pass or for other purposes emergency.
“Those vehicles which were misusing their passes or operating for other purpose than the intended ones were also punished,” said Khatiwada in a video post shared on Facebook.
He said that around 1949 ambulances have been kept on standby in case of emergency.
Likewise, the National Planning Commission is studying the impact of coronavirus on the country’s economy, according to the minister.
