20 May 2020, Kathmandu
The High Level Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19, the Corona Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has estimated that around one million Nepali will come via air route provided the government started evacuation.
Taking in consideration of the government capacity and preparation it may take three months for rescue, the high-level committee has said in a report submitted to the government.
According to a high official at the Committee, Nepal government is in a position to rescue 10,000 in a day, which means it takes nearly 3 months for the rescue.
The Committee, in its meeting, focused on the measures to be adopted while bringing the Nepalis willing to return home and the arrangement of quarantine.
Narayan Prasad Bidari, the Secretary of the Committee, revealed that the meeting discussed about preparing an action plan for bringing the Nepalis stranded in India and abroad back home.
The government has planned to rescue its stranded citizens on priority basis, starting from the countries where they are in most critical condition.
According to Bidari, the committee has already received the opinion of the federal government on the modality, hence, it is preparing the action plan.
“As the committee has already got the opinion of the Ministers in the federal cabinet, we are working on the action plan focused on bringing them in safely and ensuring the safety of the people here as well,” High Level Committee Secretary Bidari said.
He informed that the meeting discussed about the status of quarantine established in the provinces and the local levels and the measures to be taken to ensure safety and security over there.
“The action plan is assigning the healthworkers to ensure security and keep records of the incidents in collaboration with Nepal Army deployed there,” he added.
The CMC proposal hails that the incomers will get their health checked at the airport and will be sent to the district based quarantines; however, the ‘suspected cases’ identified in such check up will be taken to the isolation established in the province based COVID-19 hospital.
The federal government’s assessment includes the probability of 350 thousand Nepali returning from India. The center expects 15% infection cases from them which means, there may come 52,500 cases from India.
The quarantines in the border, which are already the poor show due to the weak management and rising transmission cases, will be under much pressure when thousands of infected people horde over there.
As the High-Level Committee has assigned the duty of returnees’ management to the Nepal Army, NA Chief Purna Chandra Thapa has already commanded NA Divisions to work in coordination with the provincial and local levels.
The High-Level Committee will take the CMC’s proposal to the Council of Ministers after further discussion in the committee.
Karbhitta (Jhapa), Jogbani (Morang) and Bhantabari (Sunsari) in Province 1, Jaleshwor (Dhanusha), Rajbiraj (Saptari), Madar (Siraha), Birgunj (Parsa) and Gaur (Rautahat) in Province 2, Thori (Chitwan) and Triveni (Parasi), Belahiya(Rupandehi), Krishananagar (Kapilvastu), Jamunaha (Banke) and Gulariya (Bardiya) in Province 5 are the major entry points for the returnees from India. Similarly, Gaddachouki (Kanchanpur), Gauriphanta (Kailali), Pulghat (Darchula) in Sudurpaschim Province are also the points for the Nepalis in India to return via the land route.
The action plan is expected to bring substantive schemes required for the arrangement and the adjustment of the incoming citizens.
