Nepal gets 3,000 coronavirus testing kits from Germany

Kathmandu: Germany has provided 3,000 coronavirus testing kits to Nepal to fight the pandemic.

This is part of the bilateral cooperation between Germany and Nepal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, said a statement by the Embassy of Germany in Kathmandu.

The 3,000 PCR-test kits arrived in Nepal on Saturday through a French repatriation flight. These are part of a total of 20,000 COVID-19 testing kits ordered from Germany.

In the current state of the pandemic in Nepal, testing is crucial for slowing down the spread of the virus, health authorities said.

"Reliable testing is also important for community peace. Knowing exactly who is infected and who is not, can ease tensions and apprehensions," said German Ambassador to Nepal Roland Schäfer in the statement.

The Embassy in France in Kathmandu had made necessary arrangements to bring the cargo of PCR Test kits to Nepal as it chartered a flight to evacuate its citizens stranded in Kathmandu due to the nationwide lockdown enforced to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Nepal has so far reported 59 COVID-19 cases. Sixteen patients have recovered. The Ministry of Health and Population is charting out plans to ease the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus in a bid to gradually restart the stalled economy.

The government enforced nationwide lockdown in Nepal on March 24 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Since then, almost all economic activities have come to a grinding halt, inflicting billions of rupees of losses on businesses and rendering many jobless.