Nepal Extends COVID-19 Lockdown Till June 2 as Coronavirus Cases Rise

Kathmandu, May 17: The Nepal government on Sunday decided to extend the lockdown period till June 2. The decision has been taken as the Himalayan nation continued to witness increase in the number of coronavirus cases.  Dr. Yubraj Khatiwada, Spokesperson of Nepal Government announced the lockdown extension on Sunday. This is for the fourth time that the lockdown has been extended in Nepal since March 24. Earlier, the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government had extended the lockdown to April 27 from March 24. Later, it was extended till May 7 and then till May 18.

The COVID-19 tally in Nepal stood at 267 till Saturday with confirmation of 18 new cases, Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said. Like India, Nepal too has been under lockdown since March 24. All government services other than essential have been shut down and the domestic and international flights have been suspended as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19: Nepal Shuts Down Mount Everest for Climbers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak.

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Earlier this month, Nepal had suspended international flights and cross-border movement with the neighbouring countries like India and China until May 31 to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Nepal tourism sector is the worst hit by the pandemic. The Hotel Association of Nepal has projected that the hotel business income will decline by 90 per cent in 2020 and has asked the government to adopt special measures to protect the industry.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2020 09:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).