A 70-year-old man from Rautahat, a border district in Nepal’s province-2,  died of COVID-19  while he was on his way to a nearby hospital. An asthma patient, he later contracted the virus. However, he wasn't alone in the district.

According to a report in the Himalayan Times, the district has lately started witnessing a sudden spike in the COVID-19 infections. Thousands of Nepali workers are returning from India after the Covid situation exploded there. Unlike last time, in 2020, when returnees were made to quarantine, no such an arrangement is there this time. 

As of Tuesday, a total of 92 people are in-home quarantine after contracting the coronavirus. The surge in cases is being attributed to the influx of workers coming back from many Indian cities through the open border between the two countries. 

India is reporting over 350,000 cases daily. The scale of devastation, unleased by the second wave, is unparalleled in India. Hospitals acrossmany states are running short of oxygen. Many cities, even the capital Delhi, runs out of ICU beds.

“With the increasing number of coronavirus patients, preparations have been made to start the operation of an isolation facility with ventilators inside Gaur-based District Hospital,”. Yadav, the CDO of Rautahat, was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times. 

Earlier, the  government had issued directions for all border districts to step up preparations for isolation centers.

Furthermore, the local administration has stepped up efforts to strictly enforce home quarantine measures.