Banke, May 24: In the wake of the unexpected rise in COVID-19 cases of late, Naraina Rural Municipality of Banke district has sought additional help from all three layers of governments and stakeholders concerned to cope up with crisis. It has demanded additional team of medical persons and mobilization of security persons immediately.

Fearing that the disease will go out of control with the virus spread in community level, the Rural Municipality has written to the State and Federal governments, District Security Committee and COVID-19 Control and Management Committee, demanding their assistance. A person has already died of COVID-19 while 114 persons got infected with coronavirus here.

Chief Administrative Officer at Naraina Rural Municipality, Maniram Kharal, informed that they demanded immediate assistance of high level medical teams and additional security forces. He further said some people were involved in spreading misinformation on coronavirus and non-cooperating with the security persons and government employees, which would further down morale of those devoted to the campaign against the control and prevention of the COVID-19.

The request of immediate assistance was also made with the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.

Information Officer at Narainapur Rural Municipality, Laxmikant Mishra, said additional security forces were demanded because some people were active to instigate suspected people to leave quarantine. Similarly, the number of people entering Nepal from India has not decreased, but packing the quarantines here.

Chief Administrative Officer Kharal viewed that even the superstition and lack of proper awareness of COVID-19 was contributing to the inflation of virus spread. Still, thousands more people will enter the district, the rural municipality projected, adding it would pose further threat.

Narainapur Rural Municipality has easy entry as it has border point for those returning home from Indian cities. The Municipality has adopted a policy to keep all those entering country in the quarantine, but some people resort to clandestine route which throws challenge to the local levels, according to Kharal. This Rural Municipality alone has 800 quarantines.
High alertness in Raptisonari

After the cases of COVID-19 in Raptisonari Rural Municipality in the district, further alertness has been maintained. Ward No 9 Chair of the Rural Municipality, Lahuram Tharu, informed that they launched high alertness after 18-year-old youth returned from India was tested positive for COVID-19. He entered Nepal via Jamuhana border point and is currently stationed in a quarantine set up at Ganesh Secondary School of Raptisonari-9. There are four persons kept in quarantine.