Review Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal, April 14, 2020: Considering cases of corona virus (COVID-19) continued to increase in recent days in Nepal and neighboring India, the government of Nepal is mulling idea to extend the ongoing lockdown by two weeks.
As ongoing lockdown is going to expire at midnight on Wednesday, a scheduled meeting of COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee formed under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ishowr Pokhrel on Tuesday is preparing to recommend the government to extend the ongoing lockdown by two week.
A cabinet meeting likely to be held on Tuesday would take the final decision to extend the ongoing lockdown by one week, claims a source close to the office of the Prime Minister and council of ministers. The source, however, has a claim that the government would consider easing the lockdown in the agriculture and production sectors in some parts of the country including in Kathmandu valley if the cases of COVID-19 positives were not increased till the date.
In an effort to stem the spread of the deadly virus, the government had imposed nationwide lockdown since March 24, rightly after two days neighboring India did so. All the market places except of essential service including the government offices, education institutions have been shut down during the lockdown. Likewise, domestic as well as international flights have also been suspended and vehicular services have also halted during the lockdown to prevent human movement from one place to another.
As neighboring India is also mulling the idea to continue the ongoing lockdown, Nepal has to follow the footsteps taken by the India to contain the virus, thanks to the open border between the two neighboring countries. As Nepal-India shares a porous border, stranded workers would cross border points without check up and violating the quarantine facilities in the midst of the spreading corona virus.
According to the media reports, India would announce the decision to extend lockdown on Tuesday morning as 21-day lockdown is expiring on Tuesday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation on Tuesday morning to announce new measures including the decision to extend the lockdown to contain the spread of corona virus.
It is being suspected that neighboring India would be a next epicenter among the south Asian countries as the numbers of COVID-19 cases in the country have climbed to 9,352, while the death toll has risen to 308 till Monday. According to the media reports, as many as 35 new fatalities as a result of COVID-19 were reported in India on Monday alone.
Though the lockdown is considered as the only viable option to stem the virus from spreading, the concerned authorities have a suggestion that basic agricultural and production activities have to be eased by adopting necessary precautions.
