Nepali cities receive medical supplies from Chinese sister cities to fight COVID-19

KATHMANDU - Nepal's cities are receiving medical supplies from various Chinese cities with which Nepali cities have established sister-city relations to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bharatpur Metropolitan City in southern Chitwan district has received medical supplies worth 100,000 yuan (about $14,140) from Golmud City of Qinghai province to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the metropolitan city confirmed.

"In the medical supplies, there are 10,000 surgical masks, 960 pieces of N95 masks, 120 infrared thermometers and 120 sets of personnel protection equipment," Suresh Chandra Adhikari, press advisor to the Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City told Xinhua on Wednesday. "The Chinese side handed over the materials to us on Monday at Tatopani-Zhangmu border point between two countries."

"We plan to use these medical goods for frontline health workers fighting against the COVID-19, our staff and testing the fever of service seekers from the city government," he said.

According to Zhang Jinxiang, a representative of Nepal Overseas Chinese Business Association, which has been arranging the delivery of these goods to Nepal, told Xinhua on Wednesday that Shigatse city in Tibet Autonomous Region of China has also donated medical goods to Bharatpur city.

"The medical goods will arrive in the 10 days," he added.

In late May, Pokhara Metropolitan City in western Nepal had received medical goods including surgical masks, Personal protective equipment (PPEs), gloves and shoes covers from three Chinese cities with which it has sister city relations, the city said.

The metropolitan city said in a press statement that it had received nine types of medical goods including 10,000 surgical masks, 300 PPEs from three Chinese cities of Linzhi, Kunming and Guangzhou to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Man Bahadur G.C, mayor of the city said that as a popular tourist destination, the city has established sister city relations with eight Chinese cities.

Earlier, China's Yibin city and Ganzi city also provided medical supplies including 20,000 surgical masks to Pokhara.

The Himalayan country has so far reported 15 deaths and over 4,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.