Home Ministry restricts entry into valley except for emergencies

Kathmandu / May 21: The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a directive to restrict all entries into Kathmandu valley from all crossing points, on Wednesday.

A meeting held under the convenorship of Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa comprising mayors of Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts, heads of security agencies, CDOs and other stakeholders took the decision, among other decisions.

According to the Ministry, all the border crossing points will be sealed completely and no passage, except for emergency cases, would be permitted.

The decision has been taken keeping in mind the potential high risk faced by the valley given its dense population, the Ministry said.

Moreover, if has been advised that persons seeking emergency entry to the valley must conduct a RDT test at their own expense and submit report to the authorities while asking for permission to enter.

The local governments, in association with the district administration, must look for detailed identification of those looking to enter Kathmandu from an unauthorised route, and proceed action against them.

All security agencies have been asked to beef up vigilance at entry points to avoid any unauthorised entry.

Likewise, it has been decided that relief distribution that do not adhere to security protocol or are not carried out in coordination with local levels must be stopped at once to avert transmission due to mismanaged over-crowding.