Birendranagar, April 16 : In Nepali culture, guests are considered as gods and they are welcomed with open arms. But the situation has become such that guests are not welcome anymore due to the COVID-19 pandemic risk.    
The Birendranagar Municipality has come up with such a decision on Wednesday, according to which, guests and relatives coming for a visit from foreign countries and outside districts would not be allowed to enter Birendranagar throughout the lockdown period.    
A meeting of the Birendranagar Municipality Executive took the decision to this effect on Wednesday. As per the decision, the municipality residents have been asked not to allow people coming from foreign countries, other districts and municipalities to stay in their houses.    
This decision has been taken in view of the risk of coronavirus infection with the number of people suspected of the infection found increasing in various districts, Acting Mayor of Birendranagar Municipality, Mohan Maya Dhakal, said. She said all the municipality's denizens have been urged through the respective municipal wards not to allow guests coming from outside the municipality to enter their houses except in emergency situations. Even in emergency, the guests have to be kept in home quarantine.    
She said the Municipality is setting up a 100-bed capacity quarantine at a public school facility as a home quarantine facility for people visiting the city for urgent purposes.