Nepal Registers Highest Spike in Coronavirus Infections, Cases Reach 219

Nepal registered its highest spike in the number of coronavirus cases with 85 new infections within a day, including 26 from the Indo-Nepal border area, taking the total COVID-19 tally to 219, health officials said.

Nepal, which is under nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus, is among the nations that has the least number of cases of the deadly COVID-19 with no deaths.

The total number of people infected by the novel coronavirus has climbed to 219 in Nepal with 85 new cases, the highest number of confirmation of virus transmission in 24-hours.

Twenty-six people, including three from the Kathmandu Valley, have been tested positive, the Health Ministry said.

Among the 26 newly reported cases, six women and 12 men tested positive from the Parsa district. Two men tested positive from the Mahottari district, two from the Dhanusha district and one from the Sarlahi district.

The districts Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Parsa are situated in the Nepal-India border area.

Of the remaining, two are from Bhaktapur in the outskirts of Kathmandu, and one from Tarakeshwor Municipality of Kathmandu.

A 22-year man from Kapilvastu district and another male aged 36 from Banke district have tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

As most of the COVID-19 cases were reported from the Indo-Nepal border area, the government has decided to further tighten security in the southern border with the deployment of more security personnel and inter-district travel has also been restricted to stop internal transmission of the disease, officials said.

In March, the Nepal government closed its borders with India and China in a bid to prevent a possible outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the Himalayan nation.

Although the cross-border human movement was halted, the supply of goods from the countries was as usual, Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada said in March.

Nepal, which shares a1,800-km open border with India, has a total of 37 motorable land entry points with it, while with China it has four such entry points.

Meanwhile, eight Indian nationals, who were staying in a quarantine facility in Bardiya district, have run away, according to the state-run Nepal Television.