The government of Nepal has said that it has spent approximately $ 89 million to fight the pandemic. (Reuters)
Kathmandu:
Nepalese police arrested 10 people on Saturday, including seven foreigners, as protests against government management of the coronavirus crisis continued with hundreds of protesters gathered in the capital Kathmandu, officials said.
The Himalayan nation imposed a complete lockdown in March after reporting its second confirmed case of coronavirus. But the number of infections has increased to 5,062, with 16 deaths, and the government is criticized for not doing enough to contain the epidemic.
Police officials said around 1,000 people gathered on a main thoroughfare in Kathmandu for the third day, where seven foreign nationals were arrested.
“The foreigners have been arrested for interfering in the internal affairs of Nepal,” said police chief Basant Lama.
Earlier this week, police used batons, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protests near the Prime Minister’s residence. No clashes took place on Saturday.
Protesters are calling for better quarantine facilities, more testing and transparency in the purchase of medical supplies to fight the crisis.
“Quarantine facilities lack water, sanitation and security,” said protester Ramesh Pradhan. “They are becoming the breeding centers for the coronavirus. This needs to be improved.”
The Nepalese government has said it has spent about $ 89 million to fight the pandemic, carried out about 310,000 tests and quarantined 158,000 people. But activists insist that this is not enough in a country of 30 million people.
“The government is committed to increasing testing, strengthening medical services and improving quarantine facilities,” said Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokhrel, who heads the country’s coronavirus response, on Saturday.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
