Following the detection of 51 COVID-19 cases, four local levels in Jhapa district announced lockdown.

A weeklong lockdown starting on Saturday has been imposed in Damak and Mechinagar municipalities and Kamal and Buddhashanti rural municipalities.

The infection has been spotted at the community level. Five employees at the Nepal Electricity Authority distribution center and doctors at AMDA Mechi Hospital have been tested positive for the infection.

At the local levels, all services except for emergency have been closed. The local levels have urged the general people to stay home except for emergencies and follow health guidelines. Kamal rural municipality bordering Damak municipality has imposed semi-lockdown.

The rural municipality has decided to close all its services until PCR reports of people’s representatives and staffs of its all seven wards, according to a statement issued by Subas Shrestha, chief administrative officer of the rural municipality. PCR tests of more than 200 people in the local levels have been carried out through contact tracing.

Forty-six infection cases at the community level in the district have been detected, said Jiban Chaulagain, focal person of the health office, Jhapa.

Those who were tested positive for the virus are 36 security personnel of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepali Army, a person in Birtamod municipality, six in Damak municipality, three in Mechinagar municipality and two in Bahradashi rural municipality, he said, adding that more than 4000 swabs were tested following the infection cases.