National
Local units in Kanchanpur reimpose lockdown measures
Most schools that had resumed physical classes in the second week of December have closed down given the rise in Covid-19 cases.Bhawani Bhatta
Dodhara Chandani Municipality in Kanchanpur has been placed under lockdown for a week due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases. On Thursday night, the municipality reimposed its lockdown after a number of teachers, people’s representatives and health workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
According to Dil Bahadur Sinjali, spokesperson of the municipality, two ward chairmen, one teacher, two health workers and two local residents tested positive for Covid-19 in the municipality on Wednesday.
“We closed all services, except emergency ones, from Thursday night. We had resumed schools on December 13 but we have now shut them down indefinitely until we see improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the municipality,” said Sinjali.
So far, 83 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 in the municipality. There are eight active Covid-19 cases at present.
In Bhimdatta Municipality, 14 individuals, including two teachers, tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
“We have closed a secondary school in Ward No. 7 of Bhimdatta Municipality after a teacher tested positive for Covid-19. We are also preparing to close another school,” said Shankar Kunwar, chairman of Ward No. 7. “The chances of community transmission of Covid-19 is high since teachers are in regular contact with students during school hours. That’s why we have decided to assess the situation and maybe close down more schools.”
Until now, 366 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 in Bhimdatta Municipality. Narendra Raj Joshi, chief at the municipality’s Health Section, said, “There are 39 active cases in the municipality at present. The number of infections has been increasing on a daily basis.”
Ward No. 5 of Suklaphanta Municipality has also been sealed after it witnessed a rise in Covid-19 infections.
“Two weeks ago, an individual died of Covid-19 in Ward No. 5. Then six other positive cases came to light through contact tracing,”said Paramananda Bhatta, chief at the Health Section of the municipality. “The virus has spread in the community and that’s why the ward office has decided to seal the ward and shut down schools.”
Some local residents attribute the uptick in the number of Covid-19 cases to negligence of the public.
“People have started to roam around freely without following health safety protocols. There’s no contact tracing in place and the infected individuals in home isolation are not monitored,” said Bisandev Joshi, a local resident of Mahendranagar.
According to the District Health Office in Kanchanpur, 1,445 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 in the district so far. Among them, 11 succumbed to the virus. There are 179 active cases in Kanchanpur at present.
“The number of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients has increased in the district,” said Siddharaj Bhatta, the focal person of the District Health Office. “The latest report also shows that the virus has reached the community level transmission.”