Lockdown and prohibitory orders are in place in the majority of the districts, including in the Kathmandu Valley, in Nepal.
The first nationwide lockdown in Nepal lasted for 5 months. However, the number of coronavirus cases in the country is on a rise owing to what has been called “poor performance” on the part of the government.
In fact, holding the government responsible for failing to act on time. people expressed their anger at the government.
The KP Oli-led government is partly to blame. Its public commitments assured at the beginning of the crisis began to break down.
It is, however, unpleasant how the government stuck with a series of events one after another such as the issue of corruption in the purchase of medical supplies, the border dispute with India, the widely-talked-about Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), internal party disputes, among others.
It’s depressing to see that most of the people have stopped working since the first lockdown. Productivity has reduced drastically. No offices functioned in full swing even after the first lockdown was over.
In his address to the parliament, Prime Minister KP Oli was honest and precise about the competing risks of COVID-19 and dangerous choices.
People weren’t prepared to return to their work. Quite a few institutions, including the private schools, started imparting online classes. There’s still a long way for us to transform our workforce.
Although the Oli government has been appreciated for enforcing the lockdown, it has practically failed to make it effective and productive with the issue facing the nation now.
Many Nepalis at the beginning wondered how the government would act on the coronavirus and lead the nation through the Covid-19 crisis. As the government quickly managed to bring lockdown in action, the Oli government was appreciated.
However, after some weeks of lockdown 1.0, the roads and streets looked quite busier, and lockdown fatigue was gradually reducing. People didn’t seem much worried about leaving their homes.
On the other hand, people also had no choice as they needed to go to the grocery to buy goods, banks to withdraw money, and hospitals for a check-up, among others.
Shops, which had earlier pulled down their shutters, started opening, which is evident that the traders were not scared of the virus, but with the security personnel.
Moreover, a substantial number of people were seen gathering in front of the stores without maintaining social distancing.
The time, in fact, was a season for flu and fever. Hence, people needed to go to the hospital for check-ups. Hospitals were extra crowded and the only coronavirus related cases were given priority.
Most banks were opened occasionally with limited service. It allowed more people to gather at the same time putting both service providers and customers at the risk of COVID-19.
These were some of the reasons for the spread of coronavirus even at the community level. The government should have directed and controlled these places. They should have allocated opening time and ensure social distancing. The same has been witnessed in neighboring India.
Nepal’s economy has been in a coma for over five months affecting thousands of jobs and crippling the country’s economy.
Nepali even faced the shortage of masks and sanitizers during the initial weeks of the first lockdown. Today, health workers are demanding for sufficient medical kits to test more people, along with their health safety and security.
Although private schools have initiated online classes, the government has failed to take a feasible move to make it a success as many students live away from cities where there is no internet access.
In his address in the parliament, Prime Minister KP Oli was honest and precise about the competing risks of COVID-19 and dangerous choices.
His nationalist stand against the border encroachment in Lipiyadhara, Kalapani and Lipulekh won the hearts of all the Nepalis.
As the government amended the Constitution by issuing a revised map from the parliament, PM Oli was widely praised. Now it is the responsibility of the government to bring back our encroached land through high-level talks with India.
Even though PM Oli was often mocked for his speeches, his stand in favor of national sovereignty won the hearts of Nepalis. We can now only imagine how this issue would be settled amid the global COVID-19 crisis.
Saying that the country is in a critical moment, PM Oli reiterated that confinement was the only way to stem the spread of coronavirus and that its social, human, and economic costs are colossal. No country in the world can predict what awaits us in the future.
COVID-19 response by the government is significantly less impressive in southern parts of Nepal and the Kathmandu Valley where cases are intense, and many Nepalis are in quarantine, waiting to return to their homes.
What can be agreed with PM Oli’s statement is that the government cannot bring all Nepalis with its limited resources. This would give rise to the spread of cases instead. We need to improve our argument with logic rather than only being emotional.
Nepal has witnessed as many as 286 deaths as of today with over 45,000 cases. Our health system has been under fire for its limited resources and the increased number of cases.
Nepali even faced the shortage of masks and sanitizers during the initial weeks of the first lockdown. Today, health workers are demanding for sufficient medical kits to test more people, along with their health safety and security.
The PM Oli has announced and vowed that his government would take immediate steps to tackle the issues.
Even though his boldness against the Indian border encroachment united all political parties and the public for a common national interest, it cannot compensate for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nepal has witnessed as many as 286 deaths as of today with over 45,000 cases. Our health system has been under fire for its limited resources and the increased number of cases.
If the death rates are analyzed, Nepal has a relatively less rate of coronavirus compared to our neighboring countries.
The government’s plans and programs to deal with the coronavirus are complicated like the virus itself. We can only hope that the government has strategically prepared internally to take lessons from their past failures.
A large group of conscious youth even took to the streets protesting the government’s apathy in a bid to pressurize the authorities to increase the number of PCR tests and ensure accountability; maintaining social distance.
As corruption has surged even during the pandemic and the PM himself has been alleged of protecting the wrongdoers, people are furious towards PM and his government.
It is high time that the government acted as per the situation to avoid disaster rather than engaging in minor stuff.
(The writer is a graduate of Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Sciences Po).
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