Surkhet, May 20 : The Karnali State government is to from now on carry out rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for COVID-19 on people at all the border transit points itself, State government's Minister for Social Development, Dala Rawal, said in a press release today.    
He stated that the name and address of people entering the State would be registered, their travel history recorded and these people would be subjected to RDT at the border transit point itself.    
Similarly, it is stated that the local level concerned will keep the people entering the State in quarantine after undergoing RDT and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests would also be compulsorily carried out on samples collected from these people. It is said after their test reports are available, those testing negative to the coronavirus would be sent to their homes with the condition that they will have to stay in home quarantine for the designated time.    
Minister Rawal said the State government has adopted high alert and was seriously working to prevent and control the global pandemic of novel coronavirus which has created the biggest crisis of the century.    
The Karnali State reported its first COVID-19 infection on a 35-year-old youth of Dailekh on Monday, almost four months after the first coronavirus infection was found in the country. The Minister said the State government regretted that coronavirus infection was found in Karnali province in spite of all efforts made by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19.