Kathmandu, June 6 -- As Nepal moves ahead with the biggest evacuation of citizens from abroad in its history, efforts have been ramped up to mass quarantine returnees in hotels across the country.

The government, which started bringing Nepalis home from abroad formally on Friday, has also planned to accommodate evacuees, who can afford to pay the bill, in hotels. Those who can't afford to stay in hotels will be kept at party palaces and hostels, according to the Ministry of Tourism officials.

"The Ministry of Tourism has been negotiating with the hotel association regarding the rates," said Narayan Prasad Bidari, secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, also a member of the coronavirus prevention and control committee. He said that eva...