Quarantined 175 Nepalis to reunite with families on Monday “if tested negative”

KATHMANDU, March 1: The 175 Nepalis quarantined in Kharipati, who were evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan of Hubei Province on Feb 16, can return to their families on Monday if they test negative of coronavirus, said Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, Director General at the Health Services Department.

The evacuees, 135 male and 40 female, completed their 14-day quarantine on Saturday, and their swab samples have been collected and sent to National Public Health Laboratory in Teku for the second round test. They all had tested negative in the first test.

“We are preparing to send the ones home if they test negative,” said Shrestha. 

“But if they are infected with COVID-19, they will be taken to hospital and the rest will be quarantined again for another 14 days,” he added.

According to Spokesperson at the Health Ministry Bikas Devkota, none of the quarantined individuals have shown any signs of symptoms yet.

“Therefore, it is highly likely they will return home tomorrow,” he said. 

The new virus has infected 86,000 people globally and killed 2,870 in mainland China mostly in Hubei, 43 in Iran, 29 in Italy, 17 in South Korea, 12 in Japan, two each in France and Hong Kong and once each in United States, Thailand, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the Philippines.

Photo: Namaste Bhaktapur/Facebook