Kathmandu, May 16 (IANS): With confirmation of 18 new cases, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Nepal reached 267, Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said.

The ministry on Friday had confirmed nine new cases in the morning and additional nine cases were confirmed in the evening. Among them, three are children aged between 7-10 years, reported Xinhua news agency.

The Himalayan country has been witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days with the number of cases nearly tripling in just one week.

As the number of COVID-19 cases is rising, the Nepali government has tightened its screw on movement of people from one place to another.

Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs has announced more stringent measures to discourage movement of people from one district to another by making it harder for people to get vehicle passes.

The Himalayan country has been enforcing a nationwide lockdown since March 24, suspending ground and air travels, closing borders for cross border movement of people, sitting down most businesses and industries, except essential ones.