The minister said he had no implications other than “a little fever”.
Kathmandu [Nepal]:
Nepalese tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on social media, nearly eight months after declaring the country free from the deadly coronavirus to boost tourist arrivals.
Yogesh Bhattarai, 54, who also holds the culture and aviation portfolios, has become the prime minister in Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s office to contract the contagion that has so far infected more than 100,000 people in the Himalayan nation.
In a Facebook post, the minister asked all those who came into his contact to be on alert.
“Last Monday, during the corona tests, the report turned negative. At that time, I also participated in some programs outside of Kathmandu. I felt a bit of a fever after returning to my residence yesterday Friday night.
“I just received information that the report was positive in further tests for Corona on Saturday,” Yogesh Bhattarai said in the post.
The minister said he had no implications other than “a little fever”.
“I ask everyone who has come in contact with me for a few days to be vigilant and if you see any problem, test the crown and be sure. I am sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused to anyone. Is there any option but to be careful and face it when it comes to you? ”He added.
On Thursday, Yogesh Bhattarai met Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and discussed ways to promote tourism in the two countries, including increasing flights to remote locations and reviving historically important tourist circuits. However, the state of health of the Indian envoy was not immediately known.
In February, Yogesh Bhattarai, in a bid to boost tourism, said the world should be made aware that Nepal is free from the dark shadow of the coronavirus.
His statement came a day after all 175 Nepalese nationals evacuated from China, who had been kept in quarantine, tested negative for the coronavirus.
He also called on government agencies to step up efforts to promote Nepal as a safe tourist destination.
According to The Kathmandu Post, Yogesh Bhattarai is the eighth close associate of K P Sharma Oli to test positive for COVID-19 after the Prime Minister’s personal doctor, personal photographer and media expert.
His close associates – Surya Thapa, Rajan Bhattarai, Indra Bhandari and Bishnu Rimal – have also contracted the virus.
After K P Sharma Oli’s close associates tested positive, a senior official said the prime minister had taken all precautions and was strictly following health protocols, the report said.
According to health officials, the number of COVID-19 cases in Nepal crossed the 100,000 mark on Friday after 2,059 new coronavirus infections were detected in a single day across the country.
The dead in the country are 600.
