Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday reiterated his previous statement where he had blamed those coming from India for the spread of coronavirus in the Himalayan nation.
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Oli claimed that workers returning home (Nepal) from India, who remain unchecked at the border, contributed in the spread of the virus in the nation.
"As per the protocol of WHO, those returning home from the cross border are required to undergo a compulsory test, which would play a pivotal role in averting the spread into the community level," he said.
"But the flow of people returning home from the neighboring India has been flaunting the rule and returning back home facing multiple difficulties to get across the border without proper tests. For lack of proper test, it also has been contributing to increasing the pandemic in the nation massively," Oli continued.
Last week, the Nepali Prime Minister in his question-answer session with MPs in the Lower House had pointed to India for the spread of the virus in the country. Oli also made the claim that the virus from India is more lethal than in comparison to China and other nations.
"Those who are coming from India through illegal channels are spreading the virus in the country and some local representatives and party leaders are responsible for bringing in the people from India without proper testing," Oli had said.
Amid the rising number of COVID-19 patients in the country, Oli on Monday also claimed that the coronavirus related fatalities in the country were lesser as compared to other South Asian nations.
"Amidst underlying condition, two months infant to an 81-year-old woman have successfully recovered. This has proved that efforts to control it are effective in Nepal in comparison to the other nations of South Asia as the fatality is also low but the condition still isn't favourable to stay confident over it. The fight against the COVID-19 is very challenging and will go on," he said.
COVID-19 cases have spiked in the Himalayan nation in the recent weeks crawling to the mark of 700 with 682 cases till the time the PM addressed the nation on Monday evening. Four people have died due to the deadly virus with 112 cases of successful recoveries.
( With inputs from ANI )