Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli attends a cabinet meeting in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, April 14, 2020. Nepal on Tuesday extended the deadline of ongoing nationwide lockdown to April 27, as the number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising in the Himalayan country, a cabinet minister said. (Office of Prime Minister/Handout via Xinhua)
KATHMANDU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Nepal on Tuesday extended the deadline of ongoing nationwide lockdown to April 27, as the number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising in the Himalayan country, a cabinet minister said.
Yogesh Bhattarai, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation told Xinhua that the cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided to extend lockdown until April 27. It is the third time that Nepal extended the deadline of lockdown which has been enforced since March 24. The last extended deadline of lockdown was expiring on April 15.
During the lockdown, businesses and transportations have been suspended except for essential goods and services such as food items, medical equipment, and petroleum products, among others.
"As the number of novel Coronavirus cases is rising in recent days, the government has been forced to extend the lockdown," said Bhattarai. After two new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Tuesday, the total number of cases has reached 16 in the Himalayan country.
The country reported seven new cases in the last three days, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.
According to Bhattarai, the cabinet also endorsed the High-Level Coordination Committee's decision to continue suspending international flights until April 30.
The cabinet meeting also decided to suspend cross-border movement of people from international borders until April 30.
