New Delhi (NVI): Efforts are underway to evacuate over 10,000 tourists stranded in Nepal as countries including the US and Australia are sending flights to Kathmandu to fly their nationals out.
The decision to evacuate foreign nationals was taken during a meeting of the COVID-19 control committee headed by Nepal Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel yesterday, reports Nepali Times.
The German Embassy in Nepal has organised two Qatar Airways ferry flights from Doha to take its nationals out on Friday and Saturday. The French, British and Australian Embassies are also said to be planning flights out for their nationals, the newspaper reported.
In another development, the government of Nepal yesterday decided to allow its citizens stranded at southern border points to enter the country ‘one last time’ and also urged Nepalis living anywhere in the world not to panic and stay put where they are, according to a Himalayan Times report.
The Nepal government has also decided to make necessary diplomatic efforts and request other countries to ensure the security of Nepalis living there.
All Nepali missions abroad have also been asked to keep in touch with Nepalis and continue the flow of necessary information on decisions taken by the Nepal government.
Meanwhile, Nepal reported its third positive case for COVID-19 yesterday. A 32-year-old Nepali from Dhading district has been confirmed as the third coronavirus patient.
The man, who returned from the United Arab Emirates on March 19, was staying at a hotel in Kathmandu since his arrival in Nepal.
He visited the hospital on March 23 after developing COVID-19 symptoms and is undergoing treatment at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku, Nepalese media reported.
The Nepali government has also started tracking down people who shared the flight with Nepal’s third coronavirus patient and came into his contact. But it has not disclosed the name of the airlines and the number of the flight he took.
Earlier, Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel took the decision for lockdown on Monday, hours after a second coronavirus case was confirmed in Kathmandu.
Nepal reported its first case of COVID-19 January 23, a 32-year-old man, who had returned from Wuhan.
Meanwhile, over 18,000 people have died of COVID-19 globally and more than 4,00,000 have been infected.
