By Siraj Khan, Nepalgunj, Apr. 12: The number of active cases of COVID-19 has been increasing in Banke of late.

According to the District COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre, Banke, the district recorded 41 new cases of COVD-19 today while 40 new infections were recorded on Sunday.

Tej Oli, COVID-19 focal person at the crisis management centre, said, “In 78 RT-PCR tests, 41 were found infected with the novel coronavirus.”

“The number of infections had been increasing in the district from Mid-March. However, the past few days observed a massive increase in the infection rate,” he said.

According to Oli, 196 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Banke in the last month.

Of the infected, 54 are receiving treatment in the COVID-19 ward of Bheri Hospital. Of them, 24 are in critical health condition, said Dr. Prakash Thapa, chief of the hospital. He added that four were receiving treatment with a ventilator facility and 20 were admitted to the ICU.

“As the infection has been increasing, we have been stressing everyone to strictly comply with the public health standards,” he said.

The Banke-residents have been demanding a special arrangement in the border areas as India is currently battling with the second wave of the pandemic.

As of today, novel coronavirus infection was detected in 11 people who had returned from India via Nepalgunj.