The coronavirus-induced lockdown which brought everyday life to a standstill had left many foreigners stranded. Apart from foreigners who came to Nepal under foreign deputations and assignments at several international missions, projects and international non-government organisations, many foreigners had arrived as tourists in Nepal, a country that keeps luring foreigners owing to its unique beauty, before the lockdown was declared. As the fear of COVID-19 went from bad to worse, the government had no choice but to declare the unprecedented lockdown which caused a great distress to all people, let alone the foreigners, who were staying as expats or as tourists in the country. As the lockdown in the country turned everyday activity difficult, the stranded foreigners had no alternatives of going back to their home countries.

The need for taking back the foreigners to their respective countries brought international missions situated in Nepal to their action. As a result, these missions, in collaboration with the Nepali authority, started rescuing their citizens from the capital and different parts of the country. Such rescue operations saw these missions organise various chartered flights to take back their citizens to their respective countries. According to a report, about 19 chartered flights were held from the nation's only international airport, Tribhuwan International Airport, to fly home about 3,000 stranded foreign nationals. Nations like the USA, the UK, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and several others hired several international airlines along with the Nepal Airlines aircraft to take their citizens out of Nepal during these very trying times.

Our authority undertook a praiseworthy work by extending support to rescue the foreign citizens as many of them were left stranded in remote areas, where life became very tough after the lockdown brought a complete halt in transport as well as supply of essential goods. In the absence of rescue works, the plight of these foreign nations would have only worsened. Despite the fear of the deadly contagion, the government allowed to have chartered flights to remote areas during the lockdown period to bring the stranded foreigners to the capital. It also facilitated international missions in bringing several chartered flights from different nations and to fly back the stranded foreigners to their countries. Also, it allowed our own national flag career, Nepali Airlines (NA), to fly, as far as to Australia, in mercy flight. NA flew with Australians during its Kathmandu-Brisbane maiden flight.

Collaboration for the rescue of foreigners stranded in the alien land is a common phenomenon in which governments and countries engage themselves. For example, Nepal had itself rescued many of its citizens from China's city of Wuhan, the worst coronavirus-hit place and other cities, with the assistance of the Chinese authority. The Nepal government had to hold the rescue flight after the outbreak of COVID-19 had forced the Chinese authority to enforce lockdown in many parts of China. Similarly, the Nepali authority extended its support to many nations in organising the repatriation works of foreign nationals after the declaration of the current lockdown in the country. Extending all support to stranded foreign nationals and their respective missions in the county has only enhanced the image and prestige of the country and the government. We, all, therefore should applaud the government for its impromptu generous and humane acts.