KATHMANDU : More than 35 Nepal Army personnel, who were supposed to fly for a peacekeeping mission to Libya, have tested positive for the coronavirus. As a result, their flight today has been cancelled.
A total of 116 army personnel were scheduled to fly today as part of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). But the flight has been postponed after some of the members of the Mission were confirmed to have COVID-19, said Nepal Army spokesperson Santosh Ballav Poudel.
The team had been in quarantine for four months at the Birendra Peacekeeping Training Centre in Panchkhal of Kavre after completing training for the mission. However, the latest test carried out on all the personnel showed more than 35 carrying the deadly virus after the results came back on Sunday.
A new date will be fixed after a re-test is carried out in all the members, including those who had come in contact with the infected, according to NA Public Relations and Information Directorate.
Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus infections in the Nepali army personnel has increased significantly recently. While on August 2, 508 personnel had tested positive for the virus, the number increased to 1,383 by August 13. Of the COVID-19 infected army personnel, 294 have recovered while 1,089 are still undergoing treatment, said NA spokesperson Poudel.
