-CB Adhikari
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai has directed all respective bodies to initiate measures to prevent and control coronavirus (COVID-19).
He called a meeting of chiefs of the bodies under the ministry on Thursday and asked them to enforce the decisions taken by the COVID-19 prevention and control coordination committee.
The meeting held on Wednesday under the chairpersonship of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel, also coordinator of the committee, decided to close all cinema halls, cultural centers, stadiums, sports activities, gyms, health clubs, museums, swimming pools, entertainment places among others for at least one month.
The meeting on Thursday directed all cultural centers, museums and archives to shut and cancel their scheduled programmes for at least one month.
The meeting also directed people not to gather anywhere in a crowd of more than 25 people and maintain a distance of at least one meter from each other.
Similarly, tourist standard hotels, resorts, and restaurants and bars are required to keep temperature measurement devices and other necessary equipment to do health checkups of people they register. The meeting directed the ministry and its respective bodies to tidy up their surroundings and keep temperature measurement devices.
Incoming passengers at Tribhuvan International Airport are required to get health checkups and airport general manager is required to monitor it. Similarly, domestic passengers at the airport are required to receive health checkups.
Incoming passengers flying to Kathmandu from all countries of Europe, West Asia and the Gulf and Turkey, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan and from countries though these countries will be banned from March 20 to April 20, according to the ministry’s statement. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal is required to circulate the information to the international air service providers providing service to Nepal in this regard.
On the occasion, stating that the entire world has been in crisis due to the virus, Minister Bhattarai said there is a need for all to be on alert and do their best to prevent the infection from entering Nepal.
Amid the virus crisis, Nepal Airlines Corporation has cancelled flights to Narita of Japan and Dubai of United Arab Emirates effectively from March 20 night, according to a statement released by the national flag carrier. The airlines acted on the decision of the COVID-19 prevention and control committee to suspend NAC’s flights to the two cities until April 12.
Those who have booked tickets to the cities would be refunded without any charge, said the statement.
However, booked tickets to other destinations where flights are operating can be cancelled and passengers are refunded without any fee. Likewise, passengers wanting to change their departure date can do so without any charge.