Bandipur, March 19 : Tanahun-based Bandipur hospital has put in place an 'isolation ward' for providing treatment to COVID-19 suspects.    

The isolation ward equipped with eight beds was put in place to resist corona menace, shared Bandipur rural municipality chair and hospital management chair Purna Singh Thapa    

Arrangement has been made to provide treatment to corona infection suspects, collect throat swab and cough samples and send the samples to the centre for lab test, he informed.    

"The rural municipality also has devised public awareness and sensitization campaigns to resist coronavirus pandemic", he informed.    

It may be noted that the GP Koirala National Respiration Treatment Centre based in Shuklagandaki municiplaity-5, Balchautari had already set up a 12-bed isolation ward.    

According to the hospital's executive director Dr Ram Kumar Shrestha, the isolation ward can be expanded up to 20 beds.    
50 percent waiver in business tax    

The rural municipality has decided to grant waiver of 50 percent in business tax taking into consideration the impacts of coronavirus in business sector.    

A meeting of the rural municipality on Wednesday took the decision. Rural municipality vice-chair Karuna Gurung shared that they have also urged the financial institutions to slash interest rate on loan and house owners to reduce regular house rent.    

"We took the decision to give waiver in business tax to help business community not to get discouraged due to coronavirus threat", he added.