Bhaktapur, Oct 18 : Services except emergency at the district administration office (DAO) have been indefinitely closed citing the increasing COVID-19 risk. Likewise, all municipalities in the district have followed the suit.    

There is increasing risk due to huge number of service seekers flooding at the office, said Chief District Officer Hum Kala Pandey, adding that as a result, services were halted.

A Cabinet meeting on October 12 decided that any service at any part of a district having more than 500 active infection cases could be postponed. The district has over 1,900 active infection cases so far.  

  
The decision was taken after holding consultation among the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre, all side stakeholders, health experts and security agencies, according to a statement issued by the administration office.  

  
Similarly, services except emergency at Changunarayan Municipality and Suryabinayak Municipality have come to a close until October 31 following detection of infection cases in its employees and some people's representatives, it has been said.

Likewise, Madyapurthimi Municipality closed services for the past one month after its staffs and people's representatives got infected, said the municipality.