Chief Minister Gurung and seven provincial ministers test negative for COVID-19 in Gandaki Province

Published On: May 23, 2020 05:15 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

POKHARA, May 23: Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung and seven provincial ministers have tested negative for COVID-19.

In the run-up to the Provincial Assembly meeting, swab samples of 146 individuals including CM Gurung, provincial ministers and government staffers were collected on Tuesday for the COVID-19 testing through PCR method. Likewise, a total of 112 swab samples including from Provincial Assembly Speaker Netra Nath Adhikari, Deputy Speaker Srijana sharma, Provincial Assembly members and other employees were collected on Wednesday.

The Provincial Assembly session will be taking place on Sunday at Pokhara City Hall because the current Provincial Assembly building is congested and those attending the assembly session will not be able to maintain the social distance there. The City Hall building is currently being renovated for the same.

As of today, 1520 COVID-19 tests through PCR method have been carried out. The provincial government is working to expand the scope of testing, according to authorities. In Ganadaki Province, the throat swab samples of five persons have tested positive as of now. Of them, two have recovered and returned home, two are undergoing treatment in Bharatpur and one in Kathmandu.