The Nepal government has decided to extend the ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, until May 18, while the suspension of domestic and international flights will continue till May 31.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yubaraj Khatiwada said that the government also decided to keep all border entry points shut till May 31 to stem the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, The Himalayan Times reported.

As per the government’s decision, transportation of essential goods, including food items and medicines, will remain unaffected.

Basic banking services and industries will also remain open.

If the recommendations of the Ministry are adopted, 77 districts of the country would be divided into three clusters of red, yellow and green, depending on population density, geography, linkage to international border and number of coronavirus cases, The Himalayan Times said in the report on Friday.

Also on Wednesday, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Rameshwar Ray Yadav told The Himalayan Times that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli decided to extend the lockdown, saying the risk of infection in Nepal had not diminished, as COVID-19 cases continued to rise in some Tarai districts bordering India.

Last week, the government decided to extend the suspension of all domestic and international flights till May 15 as a precautionary measure against the spread of deadly virus.

Nepal has been under lockdown since March 24 after the second COVID-19 case was reported.

Earlier, the government has also decided to set up quarantine facilities at provincial and local levels as a precautionary measure to provide quick treatment to people infected with the deadly virus.

Since then the government has extended the lockdown several times to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic which has so far infected 99 people in Nepal with no fatalities.

Coronavirus worldwide cases have crossed 3.8-million mark taking confirmed patients tally to 3,821,667 including 2,65,042 deaths while 1,299,345 have recovered, according to the figures provided by Worldometer.