Beijing, May 7 (PTI) China on Friday said it will send medical supplies and relief materials to Nepal to help the country combat the surge in coronavirus cases.

"Nepal is a friendly neighbour and strategic cooperative partner of China," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here.

He said necessary supplies were collected and would be delivered to Nepal at the earliest.

Local governments and various sections of the Chinese society are also providing medical supplies to Nepal, he said, expressing hope that the Himalayan nation would soon prevail over the pandemic.

Nepal is in the midst of a sudden spike in coronavirus cases, prompting the government to order a lockdown till May 12.

All markets, schools, colleges, offices and transportation services, except those operating for emergencies, remain shut. All domestic and international flights have also been stopped.

So far, the coronavirus has killed 3,579 people in Nepal, along with 377,603 confirmed cases, according to The Himalayan Times newspaper, quoting official data.

(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)