By Arpana Adhikari

Kathmandu, Apr. 16: The government Wednesday decided to step up the COVID-19 response measures: test, identify and treat.
Amid the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country, the 19th meeting of the High-level Task Force led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel decided to gear up the virus contain measures by introducing mass testing, identifying COVID-19 patients and treating them.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Narayan Prasad Bidari, member of the committee and Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers said that considering the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, the government was scrambling to intensify measures to contain the outbreak in Nepal.
“For this, the committee has decided to mobilise health workers and health institutions of all three levels of governments,” said Bidari.
Stating that 15,800 COVID-19 tests were conducted till Tuesday night, Bidari said the government would coordinate with the health workers working in the private sectors to conduct mass testing in the affected and risk zones.
Since the Narayani Zonal Hospital has already been converted into the dedicated hospital to treat the COVID-19 patients, the meeting decided to provide all the equipment in the hospital immediately.
“Considering the rising COVID cases in the state, one Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) will be transferred to the Narayani Zonal Hospital,” he said
Bidari said the meeting also decided to facilitate the import of the medicines and medical equipment and logistics done by the private sectors. He said the Ministry of Health and Population and concerned bodies would give continuity to import the medical goods under the government to government (G2G) process.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already sent a letter to the Chinese agency responsible for supplying medical goods. The process is likely to complete today itself,” said Bidari.
A team of the concerned bodies had already held three levels of video conferences with the Chinese agency to finalise the description and prices of the medical goods, he added.
Bidari said the meeting further decided to work in close coordination to make the shipping of the essential goods from the border point easy and safer. He further added that the people who were adversely affected by the nationwide lockdown would be provided required relief in goods, not in cash.
The meeting also decided to take legal action against the people who defy the lockdown.
To root out the infectious disease, the meeting has decided to control the unnecessary mobility of people by enforcing the restriction more seriously than the past. “People who were found guilty for defying the lockdown will face legal action as per the Infectious Disease Act, 2020.”
As per the act, a person who violates the act or disregard an order issued under this Act shall be liable to a punishment of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or a fine not exceeding Rs.100 or both.
Likewise, the committee further decided to suspend domestic flights until April 30. Now all the international and domestic flights would remain suspended until April 30, said Bidari.
Similarly, the committee also announced to evacuate Nepali nationals who have been working in United Nations organisations in Afghanistan.
Bidari said under the request of the UN agency, the government decided to evacuate the Nepali nationals working in UN organisations in Afghanistan.
The number of Nepalis working in the UN agency of Afghanistan is yet to be known.