Kathmandu, Oct 6 (IANS): Nepali Congress (NC), the country's main opposition party, on Tuesday slammed the incumbent government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected 89,263 people and killed 554 others.

In a statement, the party's Joint General Secretary Prakash Sharan Mahat, who heads the NC Covid-19 Monitoring Committee, said that while the government was expected to conduct more tests, carry out additional tracing and arrange isolation beds, it failed to even isolate infected people, The Himalayan Times rpeorted

He highlighted the plight of infected patients who were asked to self-isolate in rented rooms in Kathmandu valley, though their rooms lacked facilities for effective self isolation.

"This means the government is indifferent to the risk of spike in the Covid-19 infection," the statement said.

"We demand that the government immediately make arrangements for more isolation beds for all the infected people who need such beds."

Public health expert Sujan Babu Marhatta told The Himaayan Times that non-compliance with health safety measures and the government's failure to trace primary and secondary contacts were the main reasons behind the spike.

"As the number of cases rise, those needing hospitalisation will also rise. The government must increase its preparedness to deal with the challenge," he said.

Marhatta said the government needed to strictly enforce health safety measures, particularly in public vehicles and shops, to help break the chain of transmission.

"If imposing fine can enforce compliance of safety measures, then the government must impose fine on violators."

He said the Ministry of Health and Population expected all stakeholders and the public to help contain the pandemic.