PM announce to conduct COVID-19 tests on 2  per cent people, bring stranded Nepalis home By Our Reporter Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government would carry out COVID-19 tests on 2 per cent people as suggested by the health experts. In a televised address to the nation on Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Oli also announced to bring the Nepali nationals stranded abroad. “As I have said earlier, life is the topmost priority of human being. The government will leave no stone unturned to save people from the disease and starvation,” he said. The Prime Minister made the remarks when the government was being criticized for not expanding the tests even when the virus cases were increasing in an alarming rate in the past week. “The lockdown is continued till June 2 and the government was well aware of its impact on overall economy and daily lives of the people,” he said. The timely enforcement of lockdown, the decision to suspend international border and flights, timely endorsement and implementation of the hospital service operation action plan had prevented us from the possible terrible loss from the pandemic, he added. The Prime Minister also highlighted the fact that this virus may not go away any time soon and urged everyone to practice healthy and balanced diet, utilise the free time of the lockdown by exercising, maintain proper hygiene and sanitation, get sufficient rest and keep a high morale to build a healthy and disease-free Nepal. Stating that a large number of migrant workers had been returning to the country, PM Oli said that for the safety of Nepali migrant workers, he had been holding conversation with the governments and the head of the states of countries where a large number of Nepali migrants have been working. He further added that their government had assured for the safety of Nepali workers. He said the government would immediately issue a directive along with the comprehensive plan relating to bring back Nepali nationals stuck abroad due to coronavirus restrictions. A Cabinet meeting later in the evening approved the guidelines to bring Nepalis home. He also said that the government was preparing to resume the economic activities, arguing that it was possible to forward development works. “Even during the coronavirus pandemic, our efforts and experiments to keep the economy moving and carry on with development projects, including National Pride Projects, have been successful,” said Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli. PM Oli also addressed the uncertainty around the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) and said that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology would soon make the necessary arrangements to prevent the students’ academic year from going to waste. Surprisingly, the PM made no mention of the border issue in his speech.