THE nationwide lockdown and other preventative measures like public awareness and border closure adopted by the Government of Nepal seem to have become very effective in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. People have been staying at home since March 24 when the government enforced the lockdown to prevent transmission of the virus. As a tough measure, the lockdown has caused a lot of inconveniences to people besides hitting the national economy hard. However, the measure has helped in saving the lives of people. Till date, a total of 31 persons have been infected with the deadly virus. Three of them have been discharged from hospitals after their recovery. It is also worth mentioning that the condition of the remaining coronavirus patients is good. This means that they are also in the process of recuperation. This should be taken as an important achievement. In Europe alone, more than 100,000 people have died from the virus while hundreds of thousands of others have been infected. Even more than two dozen non-resident Nepalis have lost their lives to the virus in different nations across the world whereas over 1,000 others are infected.

The ongoing lockdown in Nepal is likely to continue for more time. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, in an interview with the state media on Friday at his official residence at Baluwatar, hinted that the nation would continue to adopt the lockdown as a primary measure to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. The government is also planning to keep closing down borders and applying social distancing to rein in the spread of the virus. Premier Oli had already said that the government would not reopen the Nepal-India border until the southern neighbour was totally free from the coronavirus. Since the virus has been transmitting rapidly across India, Nepal must continue to sealing off the border for the safety of Nepalis. Clarifying that the lockdown was not in the interest of the government, Prime Minister Oli said that it would be better to continue the measure than to allow the lethal virus to infect more people and claim their lives.

The Prime Minister asked every Nepali citizen to stay where they are with utmost caution against the COVID-19 pandemic. As the government is serious about the safety, security and wellbeing of Nepalis living abroad, it has talked to the governments of the concerned countries. It may be recalled here that Prime Minister Oli himself talked with his Indian counterpart and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in regard with the safety of Nepali nationals. Besides, the government has had communications with Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia regarding the safety and welfare of Nepalis living there. Because the Government of Nepal is not in a position to bring in its citizens from abroad, it has called on the respective countries to treat them like their own citizens while providing health services and other facilities. As the government has dispatched medical supplies and human resources to all the 77 districts across the country, the process of virus testing is expected to gain due momentum. This will be instrumental in defecting cases and thus containing the pandemic.