The prohibitory orders in Kathmandu Valley that have been in place since April 29 to contain the spread of Covid-19 have been extended until June 3.
A meeting of chief district officers of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur on Tuesday made an announcement to extend the lockdown for an additional one week starting from May 28.
Dhundi Prasad Niraula, chief district officer of Lalitpur, said grocery shops and department stores also won’t be allowed to open this time.
All construction work will be halted and vehicles carrying construction materials will not be allowed to operate.
“Each commercial bank will be allowed to open two branches in one district while a development bank can open only one branch. The banks should operate with just 20 percent staff,” said Niraula.
He said the new rules will reduce vehicular traffic movement.
“We are preparing to enforce the restrictions more strictly, and will be announcing a district-wise plan Thursday onwards,” said Niraula.
He said only the shops selling vegetables, dairy products and fruits will be allowed to open till 9am. Until Thursday, groceries will be allowed to open till 10am.
While the District Administration Office, Kathmandu has already published a notice on the extension of prohibitory orders in the district on Tuesday, the Lalitpur and Bhaktapur district administrations have yet to publish such notices.
Prem Prasad Bhattarai, chief district officer at Bhaktapur, said the restrictions in Bhaktapur will be similar to those in Kathmandu.
The notice published by the Kathmandu district administration states that shops and street vendors will not be allowed to sell vegetables on the roadsides. They can sell vegetables only in the places specified by the local authorities. Likewise, vendors will not be allowed to sell goods in open spaces or from push-carts and bicycles. The notice also says that all the passes or permits distributed earlier will be invalid from May 28. Journalists or those who work in media houses will need passes issued by the Press Council or a recommendation letter from their office. Meanwhile, morning or evening walks will be forbidden.
At the meeting, the chiefs of the three districts of the Valley announced to make the new prohibitory orders stricter in line with the new ordinance promulgated last week.
Last week President Bidya Devi Bhandari had promulgated the Covid-19 Crisis Management Ordinance amid an unprecedented surge in new Covid-19 infections and deaths across the country—allowing the government to take various measures to stem the spread of the contagion.
Citing the new ordinance, the Kathmandu district administration on Monday published a notice outlining various stringent punishments including huge monetary fines for individuals and organizations violating the prohibitory orders.
Source: Kathmandu Post