People living in quarantine in a village in Lamjung are utilising their time by doing some repair work on a public playground.

Twenty-six people, who were quarantined at Kwholasothar Rural Municipality Ward No. 4 after returning home from Pokhara, Besi Sahar and other parts of the country, have been repairing the playground of Laligurans Yuba Club in Panyudanda.

Every year, the rural municipality organises football tournaments on the same playground. Bodh Bahadur Gurung, who has been staying in the quarantine facility for the last 10 days, said the playground needed repairs for a long time. “We thought it would be best to utilise our time doing something productive,” said Bodh Bahadur..

The ward office has made it compulsory for every individual who enters the area from other parts of the country or abroad to stay in quarantine for 14 days. “We are in sound health. But, we have to stay in quarantine as a precaution,” said Bodh Bahadur. “And to make use of our time here, we decided to put some work on the playground.”

While some people are working on the compound walls of the ground, others are also levelling the surface. Kamal Bahadur Gurung, another man in quarantine, said, “We are levelling the playground and also working on a section of the playground that was swept away by heavy rainfall a few days ago.”

Khim Bahadur Gurung, the ward chairman, said, “We have kept individuals who arrive in this ward from other parts of the country or abroad to stop the spread of novel coronavirus. We let them repair the playground since they wanted to pass their time here doing productive work.”

During the initial days of the nationwide lockdown, the ward office had decided to fine Rs 5,000 to 10,000 people who tried to enter the ward without permission. “But now, we have done away with the fines. We keep them in quarantine and they are not allowed to visit their family members and relatives,” said ward chairman Gurung.