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The only quarantine centre in Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City has housed 55 people from three different countries. People who returned to Nepal are also quarantined on the premises of Janata Multiple Campus of Ithari-5.
"We have quarantined Nepalis, Indian and Pakistani citizens," informed Laxmi Gautam, Deputy Mayor of Itahari, adding, "There are seven Pakistani, 12 Nepali and 36 Indian nationals. Among them, two are women and one is a minor." Gautam said that Indians had arrived for work, while the Pakistanis had arrived for an Islamic programme in different mosques of Itahari.
Itahari Sub Metropolis had established a 100-bed quarantine on 24 March, the day Nepal started countrywide lockdown. Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT), to determine whether people are COVID-19 infected or not, was started on April 14 in Itahari.
"So far we have tested 48 quarantined people and fortunately all results are negative,” shared Ram Charan Chaudhary, a health section chief at the sub metropolis. He added, ''We will complete testing the remaining 7 today." Chaudhary said that Itahari had already carried out RDT on all 110 migrant workers who returned from abroad and the result was also negative. There is strong security in the quarantine centre of Itahari. Nepal Army secures the outer ring. Nepal Police has taken the lead for the inside section. Four health workers are deployed for quarantine.
''Two Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), one Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and one Health Assistant (HA) from Itahari Hospital have been assigned at the quarantine,'' shared Ram Kumar Dhamala, the chief of the emergency department of the only government-owned hospital in the town of around 200 thousand population. People housed in quarantine are served tea and beans in the morning, lunch before noon, snacks in the afternoon and dinner at night, shared Chaudhary. On a different note, denisens of Itahari have intensified a social media campaign to establish a 100-bed hospital with 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) along with all facilities of X-ray, CT scan, MRI, pathology lab, among others. Campaigners have pointed the dearth of required hospitals in Itahari.
"We have a military hospital with just 50 beds and this is only for military families. The only hospital for the public, Itahari Hospital is of just 15-bed capacity," said Sandip Poudel, one of the leaders of the campaign.
