Pithoragarh, Apr 28 (PTI) Entry of people from Nepal into India through the border bridges connecting the two countries in Champawat and Pithoragarh districts has been restricted following the resurgence of COVID cases, officials said on Wednesday.

The administrations of the two border districts have made it mandatory for people coming to India from Nepal for daily marketing through the border bridges to bring their corona negative test reports not older than 72 hours with them, an official in Tanakpur in Champawat said.

There are more than half a dozen border bridges in the two districts through which  a large number of Nepalese citizens visit the Indian markets daily.

"We have advised every Nepalese citizen wanting to enter India to bring corona negative report not older than 72 hours with them without which they will not be permitted to enter," said Himanshu Kaphaltia, SDM of Tanakpur sub division of Champawat district.

People from Nepal routinely come to the Indian markets through the bridges to buy essentials and meet their relatives living on this side of the border but with the steep surge in COVID-19 cases, it was felt necessary to impose the restrictions, he said.              An officer of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) posted at Dharchula Man Singh said several Nepalese citizens have been asked to returned from the border as they did not have the mandatory negative RT-PCR report with them.

SSB is the designated force to guard the open Indian fronts with Nepal.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)