By Purushottam P. Khatri
Kathmandu, Apr. 27: All three District Administration Offices (DAOs) of the Kathmandu Valley have issued a week-long restriction orders effective from Thursday morning (April 29) after the cases of coronavirus surged.
After a joint meeting of the Chief District Officers (CDOs) of the three districts, a seven-point restriction order was issued Monday evening. The order will remain effective till May 5 midnight.
The local administrations have imposed a restriction on holding any kind of assembly, gathering and conference in the Valley.
Non-essential services and movements of all types of private and public vehicles have been restricted from 6:00 am to 12:00 p.m. until May 5.
As per the decision, a mandatory quarantine is required for those entering the valley. Those who enter the Kathmandu Valley have to stay in mandatory quarantine or home isolation.
Stating that as new variants of the coronavirus are spreading rapidly, people entering the Kathmandu Valley must now live in quarantine and home isolation prescribed by the concerned local levels, reads the order.
Taking prior permission from the respective DAO has been mandatory to hold marriage and other rituals in the presence of only 15 guests.
After issuing the order, CDO of Kathmandu Kali Prasad Parajuli told The Rising Nepal, "All kinds of meetings, conferences, seminars, trainings, cinema halls, party venues, swimming pools, shopping malls, entertainment venues, salons, beauty parlors, gyms and group sports, library, museum, zoo etc. cannot operate until further notice."
However, water tankers, ambulances, milk tankers, mortuary vans, and vehicles carrying fruit and vegetable, garbage and banks’ vehicles are allowed to ply by mentioning the purpose in the mirror of the vehicles. Similarly, vehicles of internet, telecom service providers
and those carrying people to and from quarantines and isolation centres are permitted to operate.
Departmental stores and grocery shops are allowed to open from every day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the food stores, general shops and medical stores and shops are allowed to operate only up to 10:00 am from the early morning and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the evening.
Civil servants, bank's employees and governmental office staffers are allowed to take their vehicles based on their office identity cards.
Journalists and media houses are allowed to use their vehicles based on their ID cards issued by the Department of Information and Broadcasting.