Province 2 government is increasing its isolation ward capacity as the number of coronavirus cases has continued to rise, with as many as 57 new cases reported on Saturday. 

The provincial government has provided Rs 2.5 million to the Nepal Army to build an isolation ward at the old building of Saikrishna Medical College in Rajbiraj, Saptari.

Gupta Bahadur Kunwar, chief of the Bhim Dal Battalion of the Nepal Army, said with 99 new beds set up at the medical college on Saturday afternoon, the province now has an isolation capacity to hold 481 people.

As many as 442 people are staying in isolation facilities set up in various districts of the province.
Province 2 Social Development Minister Nawal Kishore Sah said the provincial government was also expanding its quarantine capacity to keep the people returning from various parts of India.

“The isolation wards and quarantine facilities are almost full now. Efforts are on to expand both isolation and quarantine facilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, a polymerase chain reaction machine has been set up in Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital in Rajbiraj.

“We are planning to conduct PCR tests in the hospital from Sunday,” said Dr Chuman Lal Das, chief at the hospital.

As many as 57 coronavirus cases were confirmed in Province 2 on Saturday, raising the tally to 550 in the province.
According to the Social Development Ministry, 17 people in Sarlahi, 11 in Siraha, nine in Saptari, seven in Dhanusha, six in Rautahat, four in Mahottari, two in Parsa and one in Bara tested positive for the virus.