A couple of persons who arrived in the plane with the coronavirus infected girl have come into contact with the government.
A man from Jhapa, who arrived in the same flight from Qatar on March 17, has been contacted, according to Chief District Officer (CDO) of Jhapa Uday Bahadur Rana Magar. "We contacted the person immediately after the central government issued circular. His health is good and he is in home quarantine," CDO Rana Magar said.
The man used to work in Qatar and had arrived from Doha in the same plane with the girl returning from France.
A woman from Baglung has also similarly come into contact. CDO of Baglung Gaulochan Sainju told Setopati that a team of health personnel has already reached her home.
"We have sent a team of health personnel after hearing that she has fever. The woman has said she returned in the same flight with the infected girl. We will know about the details later," Sainju added.
The government claims it has intensified tracing of the passengers who arrived with the infected girl. But that has yet to be effective.
Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr Bikash Devkota said all the bodies under the local Development Ministry have been informed to trace the fellow passengers. "The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division is working in that," he added.
An official with the division said teams of health personnel have been deployed to track the passengers. "The teams will contact the passengers and ask about their health. They will be asked to test for coronavirus if they show any symptom. We will also trace other persons the passengers have come into contact with," the official added.
But the division has yet to say how many passengers have come into contact.
Health Minister Bhanubhakta Dhakal, organizing a press conference on Monday, had confirmed the 19-year-old student returning from France via Qatar tested positive for the coronavirus.
The girl had arrived on March 17 and was on self-quarantine at home. She had contacted the Shuraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku on Friday after her friend from Vietnam who accompanied her from France to Doha contacted her to inform that she tested positive for the virus.
"We sent her swab for test the same day," Hospital Director Dr Sagar Raj Bhandari told Setopati. The report that arrived Sunday evening confirmed the infection. "She is not showing any symptom now and is in normal condition. But we will keep her under observation for 14 days."
The government has yet to issue any notice urging the fellow passengers who arrived in the Qatar Air flight with the girl. A total of 205 passengers had arrived in the QR 553 flight on March 17.
