By Our Correspondent
Jumla, June 5: Even though the cases of COVID-19 are gradually declining in the city areas, more people have been found getting infected in the rural areas.
A large number of people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest PCR tests conducted in Jumla villages.
People in the rural areas of Jumla district have been panicked after nine people suffering from cold and fever in Rawatwada of Ward No. 6 of Tatopani Rural Municipality recently tested positive for COVID-19. Infections have also been on the rise in other villages of the district.
A few days ago, 29 people were found infected in Kanaksundari Rural Municipality of the district. But all of them returned home after getting treatment. Similarly, 10 people were found infected in Hima Rural Municipality. A man from the same village died while undergoing treatment at Karnali Institute of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital.
Tatopani Rural Municipality has sealed off its Ward No. 6 for one week after a growing risk of COVID-19 transmission in the village.
Rural Municipality chairman Nabaraj Neupane informed that the local government decided to control the spread of COVID-19 from one village to another, so the movement of people from one village to another had been prohibited.
Health Coordinator Guru Prasad Chaulagain said that the village was completely sealed off after nine people were found infected in Rawatbada during the first phase of the testing.
Movement of people has been stopped in Khadkabada and Rawatwada villages to prevent the spread of the infection to other villages, he said.
According to Chaulagain, 109 PCR tests were conducted in the ward on Wednesday alone while 27 antigen tests were done on Tuesday after locals informed that there were many patients in the village. Nine of them tested positive for COVID-19.
District Public Health Office and village health workers had reached a Rawatwada-based school to conduct the PCR tests. Similarly, all the nine infected people were admitted to COVID-19 Hospital in the village, he said.
According to the District Public Health Office, more antigen tests have been conducted after the COVID-19 cases increased in the village.
According to Acting Public Health Officer Krishna Sapkota, health workers at all local levels have increased the number of tests. Likewise, number of patients visiting the hospital for treatment has also increased, he said.