Lack of Quarantines Reported With Upsurge in Number of India-returnees

26 May, Kathmandu : Reports of lack of quarantines have been coming in from various districts with the increasing number of people returning home from India. It is stated that these districts lacked adequate number of quarantines to accommodate the India-returnees.

In Mahottari district, the existing quarantines have become crowded after a surge in number of people returning from India. Although the number of quarantines has been increased to 44 from 19, still the district is facing shortage of the facilities as the number of people coming from India has been increasing since the last five days.

One thousand 553 people, including 37 women, suspected of coronavirus infection have been kept in the quarantine facilities having 1,849 beds, the District Public Health Office Mahottari said. In addition to this, 182 people have been kept in home quarantine under the supervision of health workers. It is said over 1,000 more people have been accommodated in the quarantines at all the 15 local levels in the district over the last five days.

Likewise, in Doti district, all the quarantines set up by the nine local levels are said to be filled with people who have returned home from India. On the one hand the quarantines are crowded while on the other hand they lack facilities as per the government-set standard.

People kept in quarantines have complained of lack potable water, beds, food and other facilities. It is said benches and tables have been placed together to make beds at the quarantines set up at schools and in some cases up to five people have to share the same bed.

Moreover, people kept in quarantines have been openly roaming around without safety measures. The risk of transmission has been heightened as most of these make-shift quarantines are near or in the human settlements.

In Chitwan district, most of the quarantines are only for namesake. They lack even basic facilities. It is found that the local school buildings are being projected as quarantines to accommodate the people coming to the district from outside.

A decision has been made to build a quarantine each at every local level ward in the district. There are 98 wards in the seven local levels. Although the Madi municipality has made two more quarantines, several other local levels have not yet constructed a single quarantine at some wards.

There are 29 quarantines in the district and 262 people have been kept in them. It is said the district will face shortage of quarantine beds with the arrival of more and more people in the coming days.