Like many other nations, Nepal is also passing through a difficult time as the COVID-19 has turned every sphere of life from health, economy and education to transport, sports and entertainment business upside down. The disruption of the public mobility has altered our perception about normalcy. This is perhaps the first time in the 21st century that people came to know how medical emergency leads to the collapse of economy, thanks to the growing interdependence and deepening globalisation that ushered the world into a global village. The COVID-19 is the litmus test of human’s patience and tolerance amidst the crisis of livelihoods. It has exposed social and moral fault lines. As a result, the people have been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Finding a balance between the health precaution and economic recovery is an uphill task that requires adopting minimalistic and austerer way of living. This moment demands that the citizens embrace civic virtues and sacrifice for the broader interest of the society. Everyone should realise that interest of whole community is above the interest of a handful of business lot.

Now the enlightenment and endurance has become ever important in maintaining order, discipline and peace at the time of corona-induced trouble and turbulence. The other day a section of business people in New Road, the trade hub of capital city, defied the Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s order to shut down the local markets. KMC Ward No 22 issued a public notice requesting all types of shops and offices to shut down the markets until further notice. According to the news report carried by this daily, over a dozen of people were found infected with the coronavirus in the area, prompting the local bodies to come up with restrictive measures to minimise the risk of pandemic. But the elected officials have complained that during their monitoring Monday afternoon, majority of the shops were running their business as usual. The ward office was mulling to collect swab samples of more than 500 people from the area. It had urged the traders, banks and microfinance offices to operate their activity only after it receives the reports of the swab tests. More than 20 people, including business persons of Ward Nos. 22 and 27 of Watu and New Road have got infected with the deadly virus.

In yet another development, KMC’s Ward Nos. 12 and 21 have decided to suspend services except for essential ones until further notice. Their move is in line with the policy of federal government that has decided to close aviation service and long-distance public transport until August 31 as per the recommendation of the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC). It has also decided to reduce the designated entry points for people entering Nepal from India to 10 from existing 20, as unchecked cross-border movements contributed to sudden spike in virus cases. After the government partially lifted the 120-day-long lockdown on July 20, the COVID-19 cases increased at an alarming rate, forcing the government to retract its previous decisions. Now it is imperative for all to abide by the order and decisions of government and local units for they are intended to save lives of people and maintain order in the society.