Here are some of the big stories from today's The Kathmandu Post.

Contact tracing of all who got close with Covid-19 patients continues but time is fast running out

Authorities have said that they have managed to get in touch with 11 of the at least 15 individuals who had come in close contact with the third Nepali national infected with Covid-19.

The Health Ministry said on Wednesday that a 32-year-old Nepali man who had returned from Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates on March 19 had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The man, who hails from Dhading district, had stayed in a hotel in Kathmandu and gone to the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku on Monday night after coming down with a fever, chest pain and a sore throat. The National Public Health Laboratory confirmed on Tuesday night that he had tested positive for the virus.

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Kuwait allows migrant workers on leave to file visa renewal application online

The Kuwait government has decided to allow migrant workers, including hundreds of Nepalis, on leave to file their visa renewal applications online amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The decision comes as a respite for around 400 Nepali workers who could not return to their jobs in the Gulf state after their annual break due to travel restrictions enforced by both the countries.

According to the latest arrangement made by the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait, the employers of the migrant workers concerned can apply online to get their visa renewed even if they haven’t arrived in Kuwait after their holiday.

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Lockdown helps control rapid spread of the virus but it also lessens chances of more tests

On normal days, over 400 patients visit the outpatient department of Sumeru Hospital in Dhapakhel, Lalitpur. On Tuesday, there, however, were less than 15 patients who visited the hospital’s emergency ward.

“We did not even open the OPD,” said Hemraj Dahal, chairman of the hospital. “People with injuries and severe stomach pain and those who required emergency care were treated at the emergency ward.”

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Bara is inadequately prepared to handle outbreak, health officials say

For thousands of rural population in Bara, primary health centres are their only lifeline in times of sickness. But as the country is preparing itself to prevent a major outbreak of Covid-19, which has been devastating many parts of the world, these health facilities find themselves under-equipped to care for a patient with suspected or confirmed case of the highly contagious disease.

They lack the resources, both human and equipment, to treat Covid-19 patients.

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