24 March – 24 August, 2020

Glimpses of the Kathmandu lockdown 2.0. Photos: MONIKA DEUPALA AND BIKRAM RAI

Today, 24 August marks five months since the Nepal government announced a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Only the second confirmed Covid-19 case had been detected from a student who flew in from Paris, and Nepal was one of the first countries in the region to shut down all business, flights and transport.

After four months, with the economy on the verge of collapse and government revenue plummeting, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada announced on 21 July that the lockdown was lifted  It was not, but he wanted to boost  the confidence of people, and revive the economy.

It was a mistake. Indian workers poured back across the border to the industrial corridors of the Tarai. Parsa, which had no new cases, was suddenly hit with an outbreak. From Birganj, the virus travelled easily to Kathmandu, making the Valley the next hotspot.

The government then re-imposed a lockdown in Kathmandu Valley on 18 August, saying it would be for a week, but it is certain to be extended by another week.

As of 24 August, Nepal has a total of 32,678 Covid-19 infections of which 13,723 are active cases. The rate of active cases in Nepal stands at 41.2%, which is the highest in South Asia. The recovery rate has gradually dropped from 73% in July to 58% now, which is because most new cases are symptomatic, or patients serious enough to need ICU care.

The number of fatalities due to SARS-CoV-2 has more than doubled in the past three weeks, and now stands at 157. Hospitals have run out of beds for the seriously ill, and ventilators are not where they are needed. There are 155 ICU cases across the country with the highest in Bagmati province at 70, which also has all 10 ventilator support patients.

Kathmandu Valley is now the Covid-18 hotspot with 2,975 active cases and has been reporting more than 100 cases on a daily basis for the past 18 days. In fact, the Valley has been beating its own record of the highest daily rise each day.

With 2,545 patients, Kathmandu district also has the largest active cases in Nepal. Koteswor, Maharajganj, Kalanki, Sorhakhutte, Baneswor and Mahaboudha areas have registered the highest infections whereas Baneswor and Mahabaudha account for the most deaths in the capital city.

Of Nepal’s 77 districts, 41 have more than 200 cases with highest infections (in descending order) in Kathmandu, Parsa, Rautahat, Kailali, Sarlahi, Morang, Dhanusa, Mahottari, Kapilvastu, Dailekh, Doti, Banke, Accham, Dang and Rupandehi districts.

During the first month of the lockdown in March and April, most people in Kathmandu abided by the rule, although things were more relaxed in the hinterland. Monitoring was lax, and more than 200,000 people re-entered Kathmandu in June-July even though long-distance transport was not supposed to be running.

Even since the lockdown was re-imposed Kathmandu Valley has come to a standstill  It now feels more like a curfew, or a serious political shutdown that the country used to suffer.

With news of a rising number of deaths and infections, most people seem to be voluntarily taking more precautions with masks, and not crowding shops. The streets are once more crowded with dogs and other fauna.

It finally feels like the residents of Kathmandu Valley have finally understood how serious the spread can be to family and society, and are staying home. Policemen are at the frontlines, and are stricter than before. More than 600 of them have tested positive nationwide. They guard street intersections with masks, and some even wearing visors, checking ID cards of people in cars and motorcyles, and even telling pedestrians to go back where they came from.

Many shops have closed for good, others have changed their business. A small tea shop owner in Sanepa has now turned into a vegetable vendor. Drug stores in Pulchok also sell provisions.

Students are left in limbo since schools have not re-opened, many children can be seen in the back alleys, playing with friends in the evenings. Most activity takes place on the roofs and terraces of homes, and even though Dasain is still two months away children are already flying kites.

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