China to provide 20,000 oxygen cylinders, 400 to come on Tuesday

 The government is bringing 400 empty oxygen cylinders from China through air Monday.

According to a press not issued by deputy prime minister Ishwar Pokhrel, a meeting of the Covid -19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) held Friday, under the chair of its coordinator and deputy prime minister Ishwar Pokhrel, decided to bring 400 cylinders, out of 20,000, in the first phase, from China.

Nepal Airlines Corporation's (NAC) wide body aircraft will leave for China on May 10 to bring the cylinders, the press note reads, adding that China has decided to provide 20,000 empty oxygen cylinders to Nepal as the country is struggling with shortage of oxygen cylinder due to massive spread of second wave of Covid-19. The government has requested China to provide the oxygen cylinder.

Of the agreed assistance, some 2,000 cylinders will be brought by air and remaining 18,000 will be brought via land route, the press note reads.

A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is flying to Beijing, China on Monday to bring some health equipment and oxygen cylinders, confirmed the national flag carrier. "The wide-body A 330 of the NAC will fly to Beijing to get oxygen and ventilators provided on a grant by China," the NAC said, adding that it will be bringing 400 units of oxygen cylinders and 20 units of ventilators. "The flight is scheduled to take off for Beijing at 11:30 am on Monday and will arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) at 2:35 om on Tuesday."