By Our Correspondents, Nepalgunj/Bhairahawa/Birtamod/Kalaiya, Mar. 8: As India reports 39 cases of COVID–19, cautionary measures are being taken all across Nepal-India border to prevent the entry of coronavirus to Nepal.

State Minister for Health and Population Navaraj Rawat Sunday inspected the arrangements being made at Nepalgunj Airport and the district’s Jamunaha border point to safeguard against the virus.

Rawat visited the Coronavirus Surveillance and Consultation Centre set up at the border and the airport and spoke with the health officials stationed there about the field situation. The centres at the border and airport are open from 5 AM to 9 PM every day and they check around 2,000 people daily.

However, with only two people manning each of the centres, the health officials are overworked and overstretched. They complained of shortage of manpower to the minister as well.

So far, the desks have referred four people travelling from India to Bheri Hospital for having high fever. They are currently in the care of hospital, informed Ram Bahadur Chand, head of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City’s Health Branch.

Meanwhile, in Bhairahawa, the Nepali and Indian officials have held a joint meeting to discuss tightening of security measures at the border to prevent coronavirus entering Nepal.

“The meeting decided to tighten checks at the border and also make the health checks more effective,” said Mahadev Pantha, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Rupandehi, adding, “We decided to implement mandatory health check-ups for tourists arriving from third countries, have health check-ups for Indian and Nepali nationals if they are displaying any suspicious symptoms and exchange any and all information regarding the virus with each other.”

Explaining that the district’s Belahiya border was the largest entry point in the country for tourists arriving by land, he said that the district was a high-risk zone and that the meeting was organised to decide on stringent measures against the disease. In addition to Belahiya, travel through Marchwar, Bhagwanpur and Kakrahawa will also be scrutinised.

Similarly, health desks have also been set up at the Kumarkhod border of Jhapa and Simara Airport of Bara to check travellers.

While vigilance is being stepped up all across the country, officials have called on people to remain calm. They have stated that the situation does not warrant panic and that the measures being taken are purely precautionary in nature.

However, they have asked people to avoid large gatherings and avoid celebrating the upcoming festival of Holi.

And while all this goes on, the country is facing a severe shortage of masks and hand sanitizers, causing their prices to soar.