Nepal's Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli has said that nationwide lockdown will not be lifted immediately. In a video conference with Chief Ministers of all seven provinces today, Prime Minister Oli said measures adopted to curb the spread of COVID-19 will not be lifted unless situation turns back to normal in India.

He said, “We cannot lift the lockdown despite the fact that number of cases continue to rise in India. There is no point in becoming emotional about lifting the lockdown. Instead, we have to adopt stricter measures to control the spread of COVID-19."

Stressing up on the need to step up strong coordination between the federal government and provincial governments, Mr. Oli also appealed Chief Ministers to launch awareness campaign on COVID-19. Nepal has so far reported 9 confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of which eight are undergoing treatment while one person has recovered.