Kathamandu May 6.

After the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Banke district last Friday, the local authority here has been trying to trace the travel history of the infected ones so as to conduct COVID-19’s test on them. A 60-year-old man was found to have contracted the deadly infection. The nasal and throat swab of those coming in contact with him in his household and locality was tested thereafter which showed that 22 other persons had contracted the infection including a seven-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl. Health office, Banke’s corona focal person Naresh Shrestha said that they have been trying to find out from whom the elderly contracted the COVID-19. Since the travel history of the infected elderly could not be traced properly, it was difficult for the Health Office in Banke to find out how many people might have contracted it from him so far. Shrestha said that the Health Office here cannot confidently say that the elderly case was the first COVID-19 case in the district since his travel history could not be tracked. The first set of people coming in contact with the elderly infected ones are said to be the locals surrounding the Madarasa at Jolhanourba. He had arrived at Nepalgunj via Baharaich, a place bordering India a month ago. He was immediately quarantined at Mahendra Multiple Campus. A total of 600 persons quarantined had escaped the isolation. The infected person is one among those escapees, according to police. Shrestha said, “All the infected ones have been found to travelled nearby places such as Rupaidiya and Nanpara. They had not traveled very far.” The local authority has expedited collection of nasal and throat swabs of the suspected ones and sealed off the places where the infected persons were found to conduct the contract tracing.