Govt prepares four-point strategy against COVID-19

The government has prepared a four-point strategy against coronavirus (COVID-19). A meeting of the coronavirus prevention and control coordination committee on Sunday chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel, also coordinator of the committee took a decision in this regard.

The strategy includes launching awareness campaigns, managing quarantine areas and providing effective treatment to coronavirus infected, said the committee member-secretary Narayan Prasad Bidari, also secretary of the Office of Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

There would be coordination between the federal, state and local levels and ensure of local communities’ engagement against the infection, and movements at borders with India and China would be tightened and health checkups and laboratory tests intensified, he said.

It was also decided upon to ensure regular and smooth supply of essentials amid coronavirus fear, and set up a bio-safety level 2 laboratory each in all seven states to test for the virus. So far, only Kathmandu has a BSL-2 laboratory of this kind.

The meeting was attended by also Minister for Health and Population Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Finance Minister and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply Lekhraj Bhatta, ministers, state chief ministers, national association of municipality and rural municipality, presidents and representatives of the district coordination committee federation, high ranking officials of security agencies and government employees.