A government body in Nepal has recommended restrictive measures against large gatherings and closing of schools as the latest measures against the latest Covid-19 resurgence.
The Covid-19 Crisis Management Coordination Centre (CCMCC) suggested banning gathering of more than 25 people and closing primary and secondary schools till January 29, reports Xinhua news agency.
Within this period, the Ministry of Health and Population will have to supply vaccines to inoculate students aged 12-17 and fully vaccinate teachers and other staff members.
A senior CCMCC official told Xinhua that the decision was taken over suggestions by Health Ministry officials.
“There is a projection that the Covid-19 situation may worsen in the third week of January, so we decided to recommend restrictive measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” said the official.
As suggested by the CCMCC, people need to present their vaccination cards for entering public places like offices, hotels, restaurants, cinema halls, stadiums, airports and parks.
The Centre also recommended the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to arrange domestic flights so that there are no crowds in airports and make it mandatory for passengers to produce vaccination cards starting from January 17.
The restrictive measures will go into force once government ministries decide to implement them.
Schools in the Kathmandu Valley reopened in late September last year after being shut down for some five months to curb a second wave of the pandemic.
Nepal has so far confirmed 24 new cases of the Omicron variant.
On Sunday, the South Asian country reported 841 new Covid-19 cases, a sharp rise from 213 logged on January 2.