KATHMANDU, March 3:The government has released 175 Nepali nationals evacuated from China's Wuhan after keeping them in quarantine for 16 days in a effort to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 that originated in Hubei Province of China about two months ago.

All of the rescued citizens of Nepal tested negative for coronavirus.

The Nepalis, who were evacuated from Wuhan, were quarantined at a building of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in Kharipati, Bhaktapur, ever since their arrival on February 16.

“The sputum samples of all the quarantined Nepalis were collected for tests. The tests showed negative results for the virus,” Bikas Devkota, spokesperson for the Ministry for Health and Population, told Republica.

In the meantime, the ministry has also urged people to not be worried about the possible spread of virus from the quarantined Nepalis. 

“The tests were carried out in a proper way, and the results are clearly negative,” Devkota said, urging the public to not panic about the Nepalis released from the quarantine facility as none of them carry symptoms of the virus.

“All the released evacuees have been instructed with proper guidelines to take quickest actions possible in any suspicious case. Also, everyone involved in the entire process of evacuation have been tested in proper way. They [medical staff] have all been tested negative,” Devkota added. 
Furthermore, the government has planned different ways to dispose materials and products used by the evacuated citizens. “The materials will be disposed in safe disposal locations by the waste management committee,” Devkota added.

As of Monday, the virus has infected more than 89,000 people worldwide, causing death of more than 3,000 people in 58 countries.

Out of 185 Nepalis who had filled forms for evacuation, six students with fever were left behind in Wuhan while four had chosen not to come back.

 
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