KATHMANDU: The government has suspended the labor approval for foreign employment for an indefinite period bearing in mind the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Disease Prevention and Control High-Level Coordination Committee took a decision to this effect. The decision came into effect from today.

Foreign Employment Office, Tahachal’s Umesh Basnet said the labor approval has been suspended until further notice.

Nepal received intense pressure for not sending workers to South Korea, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait remaining as the major labor destinations for Nepalis following the COVID-19 outbreak there.

The Ministry of Labor and Transport was preparing to suspend the labor approval, but the decision was awaited.

The government has already decided not to send workers to South Korea till the end of March.

Similarly, the government of Qatar has already banned the entry of citizens of 14 countries including Nepal to Qatar due to the detection of coronavirus there while Kuwait has suspended the visa to foreign nationals.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic. Other countries have restricted on the internal flights and people’s movement as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 infection.