The ancient stone sculpture of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=11342">Uma Maheswar stolen from Dhulikhel</a> 40 years ago, was one of the first sacred objects to be returned to Nepal after it was traced to Berlin’s Museum für Indische Kunst in 2000. But the 900-year-old Shiva-Parvati that had been worshipped for nearly a millennium by devotees in Dhulikhel’s Wa: Tole still languishes in the Patan Museum, waiting to be returned to the community. After futile attempts to restore the divinity back to its original shrine, Dhulikhel Municipality made a replica three years ago and consecrated it to the temple. Ward chair of Dhulikhel-7 Romi Prasad Shrestha says the council does not want to risk bringing the original statue back because it might be stolen again.&nbsp; "How can you just leave a precious thing like that by the side of the road?” he asked.&nbsp; In 1976, a statue of Tara was stolen from Birbhadreswar Temple in Bhaktapur. Nearly 40 years later, it was tracked down to the Yale University Art Gallery and subsequently returned to Nepal in 2022. The statue weighing 83 kg had been worshipped daily for centuries by residents of the Golmadi neighbourhood before it was stolen. Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-enigma-of-arrival-of-nepals-gods">The enigma of arrival of Nepal's gods</a>, Ashish Dhakal The Tara was returned after years of investigation by the Department of Archaeology (DoA) and heritage conservation activists. The DoA says it is waiting for the local government in Bhaktapur to guarantee security before restoring it to the original temple. Ward 7’s Ukesh Kawan says the process has begun for bringing the Tara home.&nbsp; "After an idol is returned, it should be reinstated in the community but many do not want to risk it being stolen again,” explains Sarita Subedi at the DoA. &nbsp; Kathmandu Valley used to be known as a place with more gods than people and more temples than houses. Antiquities and sacred objects just lay by the roadside, worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. No one, not even the government has an inventory of what was stolen over the past decades to be sold to galleries, museums and private collectors by art traffickers.&nbsp; However, there is an exact figure of how many sacred objects have been returned: 143 so far. Of these, only 33 have been restored to their original shrines, the rest are either on exhibit or in storage at the National Museum Chhauni or Patan Museum.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231108111116_77c6c66c16c67fc45c30b12dacbc764cd2a85dc3c6f8d4c02d216be660ea0a77.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231108111116_77c6c66c16c67fc45c30b12dacbc764cd2a85dc3c6f8d4c02d216be660ea0a77" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="3904" loading="lazy" alt="National museum 2"> </figure>  Some have been consigned to museums because their provenance is not known, or they have not been claimed by the communities from where they were stolen.&nbsp; Jayram Shrestha of the National Museum says it is important to bring the deities back to where they belonged. But there is little interest at the local level to restore the artifacts, he says, adding: “Their lack of confidence in ensuring security is setting a negative precedent.”&nbsp; According to the Local Government Operations Act 2017 municipal and provincial governments are responsible for protecting their archaeological sites and antiquities.&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-gods-return-from-exile">Nepal’s gods return from exile</a>, Alisha Sijapati “The chances of the same idol being stolen again after it has been restored is very low because the figure will be so well documented internationally that no one will risk buying it,” says Sanjay Adhikari, a heritage activist. “It is actually the ones that have not yet been stolen that are in greater danger.” There are communities that have not only restored stolen deities to their original shrines but also ensured that they are not stolen again. An 800-year-old androgynous Laxmi Narayan stele was stolen from Patko Courtyard in Patan in 1984 and was returned after being finally traced to the Dallas Museum of Art in the United States. It is <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/laxmi-narayan-is-home">now back at the Patko shrine</a> (pic, below), and there are alarms at the temple gate and five CCTV cameras to protect it.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231108111116_7b2a3ffcdff9be9e93480b894c6225836141749cf0fda2a7330795eeb7947220.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231108111116_7b2a3ffcdff9be9e93480b894c6225836141749cf0fda2a7330795eeb7947220" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="laxmi narayan "> </figure>  Similarly, a 16th-century Vajradhar statue that was stolen from Dolakha and traced to an art dealer in Hong Kong was reinstated within days after being repatriated. Activist Anil Chandra Shrestha says this was only possible because the local community and guthi were proactive.&nbsp; The Vajradhar was on display during the recent Indra Jatra festival and is kept in the storehouse of the Bhimeswar Temple in Dolakha. Says Shrestha: “The statue is secure because the police station is nearby and there are CCTV cameras. Locals are also more aware now.” Suresh Lakhe of Patan Museum says western collectors and museums regard the stone and bronze deities from Nepal as ‘art’, while for local communities these are sacred objects to be worshipped as part of a living culture. “It makes no sense to keep these figures as museum exhibits,” he says. The DoA’s Saubhagya Pradhananga agrees: “Our ancestors created these objects to be worshipped, we should not use security as an excuse to confine them to museums. Otherwise, many other stolen deities will not be returned to Nepal. What is the point transferring them from a museum in the West to a museum in Nepal?” &nbsp;

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Nepal’s deities in transit

<figure><img width="905" height="856" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111120/637217229c7e80680e0ba9d1jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>The Tara sculpture in situ (left) and Sotheby's catalogue in 2000. Photos: ULRICH VON SCHROEDER and SOTHEBY'S</figcaption></figure>The Consulate-General of Nepal in New York on 6 May announced with Yale University Art Gallery in Connecticut the return of a 9th-10th century stone sculpture of Tara/Parvati, which was stolen from the Bir Bhadreshwor Mahadev Temple in Golmadi, Bhakatapur in the 70s.  The Consul-General of Nepal, Bishnu Gautam received the object on behalf of the Government of Nepal, and the sculpture will be transported to Kathmandu.  Gautam thanked the University, Art Gallery, Director Stephanie Wiles, the Governing Board and the Curatorial team for their their thoughtful collaboration and added that their commitment to addressing cultural patrimony issues will help Nepal preserve its history and culture, and also support the national efforts to recover and reinstate the lost cultural properties. Said Gautam : “We truly appreciate the Gallery’s collegiality regarding the research leading to the return of the Buddhist goddess Tara/Parvati.” <figure><img width="768" height="1024" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111120/637217259c7e80680e0ba9d2jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Photo: YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY</figcaption></figure>The Henry J. Heinz II Director Wiles remarked that the Yale University Art Gallery is committed to the ongoing study of artworks in its collection and to proactively responding to new information as it becomes available. “The decision to deaccession the sculpture was a collaborative one,” she said, “and we are grateful to the Consul General of Nepal in New York and the Department of Archaeology in Kathmandu for assisting us in completing the research that led to the return of this sculpture to Nepal.”Both the Consulate-General and the Gallery also reiterated their interest in further strengthening the long-standing ties between Nepal and the United States. The argillite sculpture, measuring 70.5x38.1x13.07cm, was donated to the gallery in 2015. Citizen heritage activist group Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign initiated the return by filing a complaint at the Department of Archaeology (DoA) in Kathmandu and UNESCO on 5 July 2021. Research by the Gallery and the DoA confirmed that the sculpture had been installed at the Bir Bhadreshwor Mahadev Temple until at least 1976, where it was worshipped as the Hindu goddess Parvati in daily ritual. According to Ulrich von Schroeder's Nepalese Stone Sculptures, Volume Two, the diety was part of the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection until 2002, when it was sold at a Sotheby's auction as ‘Devi, Black Stone’ for USD18,000.The sculpture will be transported to Nepal through the coordination of the Yale University Art gallery, Consulate-General of Nepal and the Department of Archaeology in Kathmandu, said the press release on Friday, with the gallery arranging its shipment.

Yale returns Tara to Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203699c7e80680e0b280ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1001"/><figcaption>The Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Hanuman Dhoka Darbar Square. Photo: MANISH PAUDEL.</figcaption></figure>Narayan Putuwar was awakened by the sound of stones hitting the tin roof over his head. He turned, half-asleep, and checked the time: 12:30AM. He pulled himself up from bed, and slowly opened the door.It was chilly out and the night was pitch dark. Suddenly, two figures materialised before him, their faces fully covered. One of them clutched Putuwar’s throat and pushed him against the wall.“Not a word, or we will kill you,” he said in a whisper.Putuwar was shaking with fear as he huddled in the corner, trying not to make a sound. Minutes turned into what seemed like hours. There were hushed voices outside with the sounds of feet shuffling and chains breaking. Then silence.About half-an-hour later, Putuwar slowly walked out to the temple yard. The men had left, but the grilled gate of the shrine was open. He peered inside: the Akash Bhairav was gone.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/6372036d9c7e80680e0b280bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1159" height="1601"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>There were two Bhairav sculptures at the temple in Halchok near Kathmandu, one of which was 300 years old. The second one was made in 2013 and installed over the original. Both were stolen on 7 December — a nightmare come true for Narayan Putuwar who has served as a priest of the temple for 13 years.The robbery made it to the media on the week that Nepal was celebrating <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/laxmi-narayan-is-home/">the restitution of the 800-year-old Laxmi-Narayan</a> statue in PatkoTole of Lalitpur, stolen in 1984 and repatriated by the Dallas Museum of Art in 2021.Even as Nepal’s stolen religious antiquities are being returned by collectors and museums in the West, there has been a slew of thefts of other religious objects from in and around Kathmandu.A Basundhara statue was stolen from the Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple in Godavari on 6 December, but was discovered later lying in a nearby forest. Meanwhile, two suspects were arrested on 2 January from Lalitpur with a stone Buddha they had stolen, also from Godavari, on 30 December.Nepal Police has registered at least 10 thefts of various religious, historical and cultural objects in the past year from Kathmandu Valley.“Perhaps the reason we are now hearing more about these thefts is that there is increasing awareness among the public and media of the loss of cultural heritage and identities these thefts signify,” says public litigator and cultural activist Sanjay Adhikari.Subhadra Bhattarai at the Department of Archaeology says there are reports of thefts of cultural and historical artefacts every year, but this alone does not mean that there has been an increase.The first historical account of a religious object stolen from Nepal was as far back as 1765, when the statue of Narayan disappeared from the Bhagwati temple in Hanuman Dhoka. Plunder peaked in the 1960s, as Nepal started to open its borders to the outside world.Limited security and sculptures lying unguarded in temple premises and community squares lured art smugglers to Nepal. Further, Nepal Police says it does not at present have the manpower to guard each temple and cultural site in the country.“We have increased security in the Valley and mobilised our force to conduct night-time patrols in civilian clothes,” says Dinesh Raj Mainali of Nepal Police. “But our personnel is limited.”Some temples have installed CCTV cameras. Yet, on 13 December, a statue of Narayan was wrenched out of the Bangalamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, just <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/127481">under the noses of policemen in a nearby post</a>.The thief was caught on 2 January and the statue has since been recovered, but it proved that police need to improve intelligence and get local communities involved in protecting their sacred objects.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/6372036f9c7e80680e0b280cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1050" height="605"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“It starts with inventory," says Sanjay Adhikari: "We cannot protect our heritage when we don’t even know what we have.”Nepal’s <a href="http://www.doa.gov.np/downloadfile/6_AN_ACT_MADE_TO_PRESERVE_THE_ANCIENT_MONUMENTS_1451559891_1581327407.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ancient Monument Preservation Act,</a> in 1956 calls for an inventory (see below). Similarly, the Monuments Preservation Rules, 1989 provides a format for recording, but no such list has been prepared yet. The <a href="https://mofald.gov.np/sites/default/files/News_Notices/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%9E%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%A8-%20%E0%A4%90%E0%A4%A8%20.pd">Local Government Operation Act, 2017</a> and the <a href="http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/nep137758.pdf">Local Administration Act, 1971</a> handed the legal responsibility of making detailed inventory and making provisions for the promotion of local history and culture, including tangible and intangible heritages, to the local governments and Chief District Officers, but no action was taken.This means statues are easily stolen and lost, without people even knowing that they are gone. There is also no strong legal provenance to claim an artefact when it is rediscovered at an auction house or museum.Subhadra Bhattarai agrees that a national registry of Nepal’s cultural and historical artefacts is needed, and the department had begun drawing up a list in 2015. “But there are just too many smaller shrines, details and objects all over the country, and the department alone cannot complete the task with limited resources,” she adds.The <a href="http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13039&amp;URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&amp;URL_SECTION=201.html">1970 UNESCO Convention</a> on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which Nepal ratified in 1976, calls for the up-to-date national inventory and educational awareness measures for the public about the value of cultural properties in their country.Despite law and regulations that have been in place for six decades, the inability of local governments to come up with a list till today fosters an environment where theft and illicit trade of Nepal's cultural assets thrive. The <a href="http://www.moljpa.gov.np/en/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Penal-Code-English-Revised-1.pdf">National Penal Code 2017</a> defines offence as ‘an act punishable by Act or law’, while act itself encompasses a series of acts, as well as the ‘omission to do an act required by law to be done or commission of an act prohibited by law’— designating both the thief and those responsible for protecting the artefacts culpable when a religious object is stolen.Explains Adhikari: “The law makes it clear that both the act and omission are crimes. The officers who have failed to work according to the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act and Rule are in fact equally liable as the thief who wrenches a statue from its shrine.”While much of the focus in the media lately has been on the auction houses, collectors and museums in the West where Nepal’s stolen objects end up, there is not as much attention on Nepalis involved in the theft and smuggling of these artefacts.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203729c7e80680e0b280djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1272"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>A stolen statue changes hands many times before it ends up in a museum display shelf: the thieves on the ground, the smugglers who hired them, the security personnel and political figures who provide protection and facilitate the transport out of Nepal, and finally the collector and museum curators.During peak smuggling periods in the 1960-70s, Nepal was an absolute monarchy. Heritage conservationists doubt if such heavy objects could be smuggled out of the country through Kathmandu airport without the knowledge of the security forces, the palace and the government.Accomplices on the ground in Nepal must also have worked in tandem with international art dealers, criminal networks and collectors. For example, a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-nepali-antiquities-got-to-chicago-museum/">400-year-old gilt-copper necklace once worn by the Taleju Bhawani</a> goddess in Kathmandu that is now at the Art Institute of Chicago in a museum was stolen in 1976.The necklace had been moved with other treasures in 1970 from the Taleju Temple to the nearby Hanuman Dhoka Museum which was guarded by the Royal Nepal Army.“The government wanted to move the treasures for safe-keeping, but it got stolen anyway. How was it possible that such a sacred item could be stolen from such a highly secure place?” Uddhab Karmacharya, the eighth generation high priest of the Taleju Temple told Nepali Times in June last year, after the necklace was located.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203769c7e80680e0b280ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1750" height="596"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Work of groups like the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/">Lost Arts of Nepal</a>, international  activists, local communities and citizen groups like the <a href="https://nepalheritagerecoverycampaign.org/">Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign</a>, have helped raise awareness about past thefts, and for the restitution of some of them to where the figures were stolen from.At present, the Department of Archaeology has used diplomatic channels to write to Western museums and collectors for the return of 55 artifacts. Some of these have actually been stolen from the same shrine: like the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-wants-stolen-antiquities-returned-from-france/">five 600-year-old gilded copper-bronze images</a> of Nrityanath, Mahalaxmi, Chamunda, Shiva Gana (Bhairab) and Panchmukhi Hanuman (Hanu Bhairab) that were wrenched out of a 16th century torana of the Taleju Bhavani Temple in Lalitpur.Among other artefacts being selected for return are a statue of Tara from the Yale University Art Gallery, the idols of Uma Maheshwar and Shridhar Vishnu from the Musée Guimet in France, and 18 different artefacts from the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK. Even as these sacred objects are returned to Nepal, activists stress that the country must strengthen its own surveillance and law enforcement to prevent further thefts. Better resources for law enforcement, inventory and information could make it more difficult for thieves.Back in Halchok, Narayan Putuwar is hopeful: “We pray that the Bahirav comes back. Perhaps it will be the person who stole the god who will return it.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203799c7e80680e0b280fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="795" height="1599"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/6372037b9c7e80680e0b2810jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="1599">Bhairav sculptures stolen on 7 December 2021 from Halchok. Photo: NATENDRA LAL SHESTHA. The empty altar after the theft. Photo: ASHISH DHAKAL.The word and the spiritThe Ancient Monument Preservation Act was first promulgated in 1956 — 14 years before the 1970 UNESCO Convention —by the Government of Nepal to 'maintain peace and order by preserving the ancient monument and by controlling the trade in archaeological objects as well as the excavation of the place of ancient monuments and by acquiring and preserving ancient monument and archaeological, historical or artistic objects.'Section 6 of this Act, most recently amended in 1995, specifies the Chiefs of local government offices in the districts and wards of Nepal to investigate the archaeological objects, which includes temples, monuments and artefacts with historical, cultural and religious significance, located within their jurisdictional area, and forward their details of to the chief archaeology officer in the Department of Archaeology for the preservation of such objects.The government then enacted the Ancient Monuments Preservation Rules in 1989 to aid the Act, of which Sections 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 are pursuant to the description of archaeological objects:4.3.1. The Local Officer, within the last day of Ashad (mid-June) month of each year, shall have to send the description of all the archaeological object in his working District upon filling the form provided in Schedule-3, and if possible, the photographs also of those object, to the Chief Archaeology Officer.4.3.2. If the Local Officer found any information on finding of any archaeological object in his working District he shall have to fill the description of such object in the form as prescribed in Schedule -4 within 35 days from the date of finding of such object, and, if possible, the photograph of such project also shall have to be sent to the Chief Archaeology Officer.

Ashish Dhakal

Who looted Nepal's gods?

<figure><img width="4032" height="3024" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bd9f99c7e80680e08023fjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Empty Bayi Street of Wuhan on 23rd Jan 2020. </figcaption></figure>It was a spontaneous decision to stay on. Having worked in humanitarian support, I could not leave at a time when a crisis on such a scale was unfolding.The new virus which had brought Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to a halt by 23 January was still a mystery to medical science. Tests were not yet widely available, and hospitals were overwhelmed.The first reports came much earlier in December 2019 of a mysterious virus causing pneumonia which was similar to SARS that had hit China in 2002-3. All the infected were connected with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-day-of-pangolins/">a wet market in Wuhan</a>. The market was closed down, disinfecting and tests done.There was no way of knowing whether I carried the virus or not. I did not want to be a vector carrying the virus to Nepal, where there were no cases, and in any case better medical services were available in Wuhan in the event I got sick. <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bd9fe9c7e80680e080240jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Jiedaokou street on 7th Feb 2020.</figcaption></figure>On 7 February the danger of the epidemic was raised to the highest level in Wuhan. We were completely confined to our rooms from 8 February and it became obvious the situation was deteriorating. I started an online mental health peer support group for whoever wanted to share their thoughts and feelings.Even before this epidemic, people are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/a-nepali-in-beijing-during-coronavirus-scare/">generally vigilant about communicable diseases in China</a>. Having dealt with complex epidemics in the past, and considering the high population density, public health messaging is common.The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/">city went into a lockdown</a>on 23 January, just one day before Chinese New Year when everyone travels home, just like Dasain in Nepal. All public transport, businesses and markets were shut down indefinitely. Private vehicles could ply the road only with permits given that it was for an emergency or daily necessity. <figure><img width="640" height="853" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda019c7e80680e080241jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Staff on duty at International Students Dormitory during Lockdown on 15th Feb 2020.</figcaption></figure>With this announcement came a wave of panic that spread through international students and expats. The conversations shifted from need to take proper precaution to requesting respective governments for evacuation through diplomatic channels.By 29 January, Japan, South Korea evacuated their citizens while the EU countries announced repatriation plans. Australia and New Zealand followed suit. Until this point, evacuation was being conceived as a measure taken by rich western countries to ensure the safety of their citizens.When India and Bangladesh announced plans to repatriate their citizens, the gravity of situation was realised which triggered anxiety among students from countries like Nepal. <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda049c7e80680e080242jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Empty premises of a community on 1st March 2020.</figcaption></figure>On 26 January, the Nepal Embassy in Beijing reached out to students in Hubei province through official notice and Wechat groups. By first week of February many countries had repatriated their citizens, and the dorms started emptying.Students from Nepal started reaching out to the government in Kathmandu through their parents and contacts. Finally on 30 January the embassy in Beijing sent a notice calling for application from those who wished to be evacuated.Despite the efforts that the government was making, it was evident that there was no contingency planning for such a situation. Applicants waited two weeks for news of the evacuation. The reason for the delay was attributed to lack of laws on civilian evacuation to unavailability of pilots.Finally, on 11 February it was announced that Nepal Airlines would fly to Wuhan on 15 February and buses from various universities would be arranged to airport. <figure><img width="1000" height="484" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda089c7e80680e080243jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>The Nepal Airlines Airbus 330 at Wuhan airport on 16 February to bring back 175 Nepali students. All photos: ABIHINAV SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/from-hubei-to-kharipati/">Embassy of Nepal had pulled it off</a>. However, not everyone could make it. Out of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepalis-from-hubei-quarantined-in-bhaktapur/">180 Nepalis who had applied</a>, six could not board due to body temperature above 37.3 Celsius.For the first two weeks after complete lockdown was imposed, one member of the family could go out and buy daily necessities once every three days. After those first two weeks, the restrictions became stricter and individual buyers were not allowed to enter supermarkets anymore.Community volunteers were mobilised to buy necessities in bulk and were delivered in each community collection centres where households from the respective communities could collect it.Students living in the dormitories were provided three meals a day for free. Masks, thermometers, immunity booster drinks and sanitary pads were provided regularly.Thousands of medical workers from all over China to help in the battle against the the epidemic. The challenges were numerous, but with discipline and collective effort the epidemic was gradually brought under control and the city partially opened on 8 April after  76 days of possibly the strictest lockdown in the world.On 22 May every single person in Wuhan was tested. Even after the restrictions were lifted, people did not flock all at once onto the streets. Distancing was maintained for months after, and to this day people wear masks in all public places, inside buildings and buses, despite the fact that Wuhan has not had any cases for five months now.   <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda0b9c7e80680e080244jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Overgrown football ground of Wuhan University.</figcaption></figure>The pandemic then travelled from Wuhan to other parts of the world. Nepal was not spared. The situation in Nepal is far from the tipping point when the number of cases would reach a peak and then start to drop. It requires a massive collective effort, but there are things <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/what-nepal-can-learn-from-china-about-covid-19/">Nepal can learn from China</a>. Neither government nor the public can curb the spread on their own. The inherent philanthropic culture of Nepalis are manifesting themselves, and that is how we have survived through many disasters and epidemics through the centuries. However, this time around the situation in Nepal is unique. The country’s health care system is far from perfect even at the best of times. Hospitals are already overwhelmed. So, the best we can do at the moment is to keep ourselves safe by maintaining public discipline and keeping physical distance from each other. Nepalis are no stranger to difficulties, and are resilient. We have mastered the art of surviving through tough times. But there is no better way to take care of each other than volunteering for support. Organising ourselves at Tole and Ward level and being mindful of those who might be in need of support, will put everyone at a better chance of surviving through this difficulty. Dasain is around the corner, and the best thing we can do for our elders when we seek their blessing is to do it from a distance. The way to keep ourselves safe is to stay away from crowds, and always wear masks outdoors. We can celebrate this festival in years to come only if our relatives make it through this trying times safely. <figure><img width="1210" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda0e9c7e80680e080245jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Source: Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal, World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center</figcaption></figure>Silu Shrestha, PhD Student in Wuhan University, China.

Letter from Wuhan to Kathmandu

[caption id="attachment_55670" align="alignnone" width="1500"]<img class="wp-image-55670 size-full" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5f39c7e80680e07bc32jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/> Nepal has decided to live with coronavirus adhering to safety measures until the vaccine is developed. Photo: BIKRAM RAINepal confirmed its <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/">first Covid-19 case</a> in a student who had returned from Wuhan in January. For two months nothing happened, but after the second case was detected in a student returning from Paris, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-goes-into-lockdown-for-a-week/">the government decided to shut the country down on 24 March</a>. Six months down the line, some experts say the lockdown was started too early and without a strategy for testing, tracing and quarantine. Indeed, the fact that after lying dormant for the first three months, the number of confirmed cases and fatalities have zoomed up.Most of the increase happened after 21 July, when the government made the mistake of declaring “<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ends-covid-19-lockdown/">lockdown lifted</a>” just as bordering states in India were seeing peaks. Since then, the virus spread like wildfire through the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tarai-reels-under-covid-19-lockdown/">Tarai town</a>, and engulfed Kathmandu Valley.On Wednesday, there were 1072 cases, of which 637 were in Kathmandu Valley. There were 7 more fatalities on 23 September, 2 of them in Kathmandu, bringing the nationwide total to 436. Unlike the first four months of the lockdown, the number of symptomatic cases and those needing ICU have also gone up, meaning younger people are spreading it to family members and in the community. <iframe src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1I948EK4KuJAZI4tKUFiZM_EKsPyyqGtr2GG7wqNWqlg&amp;font=Default&amp;lang=en&amp;initial_zoom=2&amp;height=650" width="100%" height="650" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>Since the first Nepali Covid-19 case declared in January, followed by the government’s decision to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepalis-from-hubei-quarantined-in-bhaktapur/">repatriate 175 students from Hubei, China on 16 February</a>, it looked like the Nepal government had things under control.Despite the horror stories in February from China and Italy, Nepal was going ahead with its <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/didnt-visit-nepal-year-2020/">Visit Nepal 2020</a> campaign. Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai even went to Australia in the middle of bushfire season there to drum up business, declaring Nepal “<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/lets-call-off-visit-nepal-year-2020/">coronavirus free</a>” country.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/3rd-month-of-lockdown/">3rd month of lockdown</a>, Sonia AwaleHowever, as cases spiraled in China and later India, Nepal closed all mountaineering expeditions and trekking on March 13. Tourists hurried back to Kathmandu to try to get the last flights back. On 22 March, Prime Minister K P Oli declared a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-under-semi-lockdown/">semi-lockdown</a>, sealed Nepal’s international borders, and grounded domestic flights. The following day, as the second Nepali tested positive, a complete lockdown was announced initially for a week. It kept being extended multiple times for the next months.  [caption id="attachment_55673" align="alignnone" width="1030"]<img class="wp-image-55673 size-full" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5f69c7e80680e07bc33jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1030" height="643"> Empty Kathmandu roads during the lockdown. Photo: BIKRAM RAIAs neighbouring India also declared a lockdown, leaving <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepalis-still-stuck-in-no-mans-land/">hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in the lurch</a>, Nepal was ill-prepared for the flood of returnees. At first it did not allow the workers in and tens of thousands were stranded for weeks at the border. Desperate, some even swam across the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/lockdown-limbo-in-no-mans-land/">Mahakali River</a> to get home.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trumpism-in-nepals-covid-19-response/">Trumpism in Nepal’s Covid-19 response</a>, Sushil Koirala and Ben AyersThere was a surge of cases among returnees, and among men at a mosque in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-india-connection-in-nepals-covid-19-status/">Udayapur, Morang and Banke</a> who had returned from a congregation in Delhi. But the government reacted swiftly with sealing off districts and contact tracing. Nepalis at the border were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepalis-stranded-at-india-border-return/">finally allowed to enter Nepal</a>, but they were kept in poorly equipped quarantine centres, which themselves became incubators for the virus. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/returnees-may-be-taking-coronavirus-to-rural-nepal/">Later, many infected people took the virus to their mountain districts.</a>The government also bungled by first getting <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-relying-on-unreliable-covid-19-kits/">unreliable RDT test kits</a>, which though quick gave a lot of false negative results. After kickbacks and corruption was exposed in the media, the Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee finally switched to RT PCR, but there were not enough reagents and kits for the kind of mass testing that was required.[caption id="attachment_55676" align="alignnone" width="1368"]<img class="wp-image-55676 size-full" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5f89c7e80680e07bc34jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1368" height="912"> Unreliable RDT test. Photo: BIKRAM RAIThe CCMC is chaired by Defense Minister Ishwar Pokhrel and he was directly implicated in awarding the<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-test-covid-19-test-kits-from-china/"> RDT kit import contract to Omni Group </a>at inflated prices. Pokhrel then handed over the business to Nepal Army, but there were reports that Omni simply put up a front company to import from the same Chinese company that Omni dealt with.  <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/who-is-in-charge-in-nepal/">Who’s in charge in Nepal?</a>, Alisha SijapatiAs government revenue from taxes plummeted, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada announced a relaxation of the first lockdown on 7 May, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-partly-open-for-business/">partly opening businesses.</a> On 28 May, he <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-unveils-covid-19-budget/">unveiled the Covid-19 budget</a> of Rs14.74 trillion, setting aside Rs6 billion to manage the pandemic.While, Prime Minister Oli continued to argue for extending the lockdown, Khatiwada announced on 21 July that the lockdown was “lifted”, although  there were still restrictions. This resulted in tens of thousands of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-workers-returning-to-india/">Nepalis and Indians to stream back </a>just as India was seeing a peak.  However, by 18 August as the daily case load started to exceed 1,000, local  governments <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/">prohibitory orders on 18 August</a> in Kathmandu and 44 districts as cases spiked. But given that impact on the economy, rise in joblessness and the risk of an <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/">economic meltdown</a>, the government accepted defeat and decided to open up – telling the people they had to take precautions and learn to live with the virus. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/24-march-24-august-2020/">24 March-24 August</a>, Alisha SijapatiLimited regular <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-allows-limited-international-flights/">international flights were allowed from 1 September</a>, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-domestic-flights-resume/">domestic flights resumed from 21 September</a>. Businesses, restaurants and public transport were also allowed with some restrictions. All this while the daily number of new cases and deaths in Kathmandu continue to break records every day. [caption id="attachment_55510" align="alignnone" width="960"]<img class="wp-image-55510 size-full" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5fb9c7e80680e07bc35jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"> Domestic terminal reopens for operation after being grounded for six months. Photo: BIKRAM RAIPublic health experts say that the government’s strategy from Day One was that it did not have a strategy. Policies were reactive and ad hoc, locking down and opening up were wrongly timed.  In the end, the government realised that saving the economy was more important because <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/workers-return-to-jobless-nepal/">jobless and hungry people </a>would die in greater number than from the disease.As the northern hemisphere prepares for a second surge with the winter flu season, Nepal is once more ill-prepared. Hospitals in Kathmandu are already full, and there are not enough ICU beds and ventilators.  The only silver lining is that even as the numbers in Kathmandu Valley continue to surge, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/covid-19-lessons-for-kathmandu-from-the-tarai/">the Tarai towns appear to have peaked.</a>Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/youth-led-feeding-campaign-spreads-across-nepal/">Youth-led feeding campaign spreads across Nepal</a>, Nunuta Rai<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-workers-stuck-in-no-mans-land/">Nepali workers stuck in no man’s land</a>, Nepali Times

Nepal has decided to live with Covid-19

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5e89c7e80680e07bc2ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1536"/><figcaption>Photo: VIJAY LAMA</figcaption></figure>I am a Captain with Nepal Airlines, and had been feeling unusually fatigued in the cockpit during recent trips. After a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/long-and-winding-road-home-to-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">repatriation flight</a> from Riyadh two weeks ago, I was assigned to fly out Nepal Army peacekeeping troops stationed in South Sudan.I was in the cockpit for only half the 24 hour roundtrip to Juba, but on return to Kathmandu my skin started feeling like it was being poked with needles. I had a headache, and soon developed a fever.I gradually lost my sense of taste and smell of food, and used to break out into sweat. I quarantined myself at Soaltee Hotel and got a PCR test. Since it came back positive, and being symptomatic, I was admitted into Star Hospital.My condition got worse. The fever stayed at 102, and I had severe head and joint aches. I tossed and turned in bed, and could not sleep, sometimes I was delirious. Nurses and physicians in masks, visors and PPE would ask me muffled questions, but I could not see their faces, and in my blurred vision, they looked like automatons.I am certain that I am alive now, and can speak these words, because of these <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-health-workers-battle-covid-19-but-also-stigma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dedicated healthcare workers</a>. As airline crew during the pandemic, we considered ourselves frontline professionals as we carried out ferry flights to rescue stranded Nepalis abroad. But it is the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/overseas-nepalis-on-the-covid-19-frontlines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">medical personnel</a> at our hospitals who are the true frontline heroes doing battle to save lives at great personal risk.They work 12 hour shifts at a stretch in full PPEs, they <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-frontline-workers-brave-it-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cannot even take a toilet break</a>. They cannot go home to families, and if they live in rented flats, they face stigmatisation from landlords and neighbours. Many are underpaid and over-worked, do not have insurance, some even had their salaries cut as hospitals struggle to survive. I salute their dedication.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KfwCQZ60XEAfter coming out of the dark corridor of this disease, I beseech everyone to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/dont-take-covid-19-lightly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">take this virus seriously</a>. I only survived because I got the very best care available in Nepal, I had access to the medicines, was in a strong physical and mental state, and I could afford the cost of treatment.Many of us may not be as lucky, which means we have to take even more care – especially if we have underlying conditions, are senior citizens, or have elderly relatives at home. And we have to take extra precautions as we go into <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-covid-19-exit-strategy-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the winter flu season</a>, and lockdown restrictions are relaxed further. For example, we have to strictly enforce the PCR negative rule for airline passengers.Just because you are young, bored at home, or miss your friends, please do not let your guard down. If you get sick, you will not just be jeopardising your own health. You never know where you can pick up this airborne virus. Always wear masks when outside the home, avoid crowded places, maintain a safe distance, and wash hands.Even <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/countries-cooperating-to-find-covid-19-cure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">when a vaccine is available</a> next year, it is not a 100% guarantee, and you will need to maintain these precautions.The most distressing thing about Covid-19 is that you are all alone in your hospital. You cannot see your family, the health care workers do not have faces, and it can really bring your spirit down. So, you have to maintain a positive mental attitude, convince yourself that you will beat this virus.You have to keep your brain very active, not worry too much, and make plans for the future. You cannot let the virus win, and keeping yourself mentally alert is as important as maintaining physical strength. After all, it is the mind that enhances your immune system.Even with all my crew training, will power and good physical state, I do not think I would have survived without the hospital treatment I got. Remdesivir boosted my body’s capacity to fight back, as did some of the other drugs.But my advice is not to rely on turmeric, or some of the other traditional remedies, they are not a cure. I am now waiting for my final PCR test, and if it is negative I hope to go home, and after regaining my strength will be back in the cockpit soon.The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/what-is-novel-about-the-novel-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SARS-CoV-2</a> is a formidable enemy. Do not take it lightly. Do not think you are invincible. It is not a flu. It is a killer, and it will take you down to its dark depths, and you have to fight your way back up to the light.Vijay Lama is a senior Airbus330 captain with Nepal Airlines, and dictated this comment from his hospital bed on Wednesday morning.

“We better take this virus seriously”

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915118/636bb50a9c7e80680e07bbddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1040" height="780"/><figcaption>After being stranded in Kathmandu for six months, 147 Nepali workers who had been on home leave before the lockdown finally fly out to rejoin their jobs in Bahrain on 16 September.</figcaption></figure>The plight of thousands of Nepali migrant workers stranded overseas gets a lot of media attention, but there are also many who have been stuck in Nepal and unable to join their jobs abroad for the past six months. After regular flights from Kathmandu <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-open-regular-flights-from-1-september/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-open-regular-flights-from-1-september/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600520816227000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHaPw3K35V8aIiZh2uQwWH6ptIUYQ">restarted on 1 September</a>, many of them are finally able to fly out.Among them were 147 Nepalis who had been on annual leave from their employment in Bahrain, who could finally fly out from Kathmandu last week. The process had to be closely coordinated to see if the Nepali still had their jobs, requirements for exit and entry processes for PCR reports, as well as quarantine requirements.“We shared the list of those who had registered to return with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with copies of their residence card so they could verify their details as well as the validity of their employers since many companies had closed down after the pandemic,” said Nepal’s Labour Attache in Manama, Damodar Dahal.Even with PCR negative reports before boarding the Nepalis had to undergo two rounds of tests in Bahrain: one on arrival and again after a week of home quarantine. All 147 passengers were required to download an app that ensured they followed quarantine protocols, and had to test negative again before allowed back to work.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915118/636bb50c9c7e80680e07bbdejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="718"><figcaption>Nepali domestic workers in Lebanon finally flying home last week from Beirut.</figcaption></figure>Ekraj Rai, who has lived in Bahrain since 2005, had come to Nepal in February on home leave but had been stuck since. He was full praise for the Nepal Embassy in Manama which facilitated the return of workers like him.“The impact was sudden and unanticipated, and luckily our employer was patient and we had renewed our visas and labour approvals before coming to Nepal,” Rai said.Another worker said he paid Rs52,000 for the air fare and additional fees for a hotel in Kathmandu while waiting for the flight, as well as two tests. “It was almost as expensive as leaving Nepal for the first time for work,” said one worker. “But I am glad to be back at my job in Bahrain.”On 8 September, eight Nepalis who work for Qatar Police flew back to Doha on a nearly empty plane after being unable to fly out for six months.They need a PCR before boarding, and another two tests on arrival in Doha. Because they worked for the police, the tests and quarantine were free. One of them, Uttam Bhandari who has been working in Qatar for ten years, said: “The facilities in the quarantine centre were very good, and will be back to work in a few days.”There are other bright spots in the migrant saga. Nepali female workers stranded in Lebanon because of the economic crisis and the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepalis-caught-up-in-beirut-blast-recount-horror/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepalis-caught-up-in-beirut-blast-recount-horror/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600520816227000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGBa2iljaHbGg3DsDt1t_1lA_6x6w">Beirut blast</a> finally made it home this week after their return kept getting rescheduled.Thirty-four Nepalis, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/homes-away-from-home/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/homes-away-from-home/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600520816227000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF9PhnlK3ZhEWAULe97KznLvsrsdA">mostly female domestic workers</a>, finally returned home on 16 September. Many of them were undocumented, or without a job because employers were themselves in economic distress because of the devaluation of the Lebanese currency, and fear of Covid-19.“To survive, we had to rely on our friends who had work and the church,” said Roja, who is now back home in Sarlahi. “I am glad to be finally home do not plan to leave Nepal again. I packed 10 years of my life in a 30 kg suitcase.”

Nepali workers rejoin jobs overseas

<figure><img width="1274" height="843" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4169c7e80680e07bb82jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Faced with criticism from migrant workers and Nepal’s embassies abroad for allowing only a limited daily quota of passengers to fly into Kathmandu, the government is letting airlines increase flights to meet passenger demand.Jobless Nepali workers stranded in Saudi Arabia for the past six months <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-in-saudi-arabia-stage-protest/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-in-saudi-arabia-stage-protest/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394566000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHVzQfNtiXa129YrpqmIHNtsHrcJg">demonstrated this week in their camps</a> demanding that they be allowed home. The quota for repatriation flights had come under fire for being inadequate, impractical and driving up airfares by up to five times.“As long as passengers have PCR negative reports, airlines will be allowed to conduct any number of flights, but the passengers will have to stay for two weeks in home quarantine,” Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai said in an interview on Thursday.On 1 September, the government had allowed 10 international airlines to restart limited regular flights as well as repatriation flights from the Gulf and Malaysia stipulating that only 500 passengers would be allowed daily because of physical separation requirements at the airport. It increased that number to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394566000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF0MjYgBmo206-6-6xETJ2KJm0rOg">800 this week. </a>Bhattarai said the daily quota for arriving passengers would now be raised up to 3,000.However, only Nepali passengers and representatives of embassies and international agencies and their families are allowed to fly to Kathmandu for the time being. No tourists are allowed, and there is still no decision on flights to and from Indian cities, where thousands of Nepalis are stranded, even though people can cross the land border from India.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlIxeirVfycMinister Bhattarai also did not explain why passengers arriving with PCR negative reports still had to spend six hours or more at holding centres in Kathmandu before being allowed to go home for self-isolation. 
Some 80,000 Nepali workers have flown back from the Gulf and Malaysia since <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/after-10-weeks-first-overseas-nepalis-repatriated/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/after-10-weeks-first-overseas-nepalis-repatriated/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEbXMiJZvQPYeNjvRSvmCKvD2Ad8g">repatriation flights began in mid-June</a>, but there are still about 100,000 workers waiting to return. Nepali workers who were on vacation when the lockdown went into effect are also waiting to fly out.  
In addition, there are also Nepalis in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan who are waiting for cheaper flights back.
The move follows heavy criticism that the government was not allowing <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/to-many-stranded-nepalis-not-enough-flights/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/to-many-stranded-nepalis-not-enough-flights/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGxrvrn8yga9TIHSOMFf4gArqrd7w">repatriation flights</a> even for Nepali workers whose employers were paying for fares, and for governments like the UAE and Kuwait which have offered to fly back Nepalis for free.
The government is also getting the Labour Ministry and embassies to strengthen coordination and expedite the repatriation of stranded workers who need support for their return using the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/brokers-going-for-broke/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/brokers-going-for-broke/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7BGm87RU8uNuImfZSqxXgW0wifw">Foreign Employment Welfare Fund.</a>
Minister Bhattarai told a webinar organised by the Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) that the government was preparing to allow domestic flights from 1 October. The government has twice postponed the resumption of domestic flights after a surge in Covid-19 cases since mid-June.
Bhattarai also said the government was trying to promote domestic tourism to compensate for the lack of tourist arrivals. The government was thinking of announcing two-day weekends so Nepalis are encouraged to travel within the country, he added.

Nepal to lift quota on flights

<figure><img width="748" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba73e9c7e80680e07376ejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>After the outrage over the government’s abrupt cancellation of scheduled repatriation flights on 16 August, the Cabinet has announced conditions for passengers coming to Nepal on chartered and scheduled flights.According to a set of complicated new rules, scheduled passenger flights will be allowed from 1 September, but all passengers will have to bear the cost of one week of hotel quarantine in Kathmandu which will be added to their air ticket.These regular flights will also be allowed only from countries where PCR tests are easily available, and these include: Malaysia, UAE, Korea, Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, United States and Canada. There is confusion because no mention is made of European countries in that list. Announcing the new rules, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada gave no reasons why the distinction was being made for passengers from Europe, many of which countries are less affected by the pandemic at present than the United States. The Cabinet also decided that airlines cannot mix passengers with PCR negative tests and passengers without tests.Airlines coming from countries where PCR tests are not easy to get (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) will be allowed to operate only charter flights, or the Nepal government will operate special repatriation flights from those destinations. Further, only passengers on lists provided by embassies in those countries will be allowed to board, and once in Kathmandu they will have to stay in government-designated quarantine centres for a week while they get their PCR tests. Returnees with PCR negative tests from those three countries can go directly to home self-quarantine for 14 days. All passengers will need PCR negative certificates before boarding, and the tests must have been taken only 72 hours before their flights. Hotel costs in Kathmandu will vary from Rs1,800 to Rs9,000 per day. Only Nepalis, diplomats and UN officials will be allowed to fly into Kathmandu for the time being. Arriving foreigners will not get visa on arrival, and will also have to quarantine in hotels for a week. Earlier guidelines had opened hotels and trekking, but on Friday Khatiwada made no mention of tourists being allowed in.Meanwhile, a Nepal Airlines Airbus is flying to Dubai on Monday  to bring back 266 Nepali workers who were left stranded when the plane flew back empty on Tuesday after the government banned reptriation flights while it was en route. UPDATE, 22 AUGUST: The government has added European states in the list of countries where PCR tests are available and from where passengers can take regular flights to Kathmandu.

Nepal to open regular flights from 1 September

<figure><img width="2048" height="1152" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5a69c7e80680e0736d7jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Foreigners and locals in Pokhara work together to clean up Phewa Lake during the lockdown. Photo: DHARMEN SINGH</figcaption></figure>During the first two months of lockdown when foreign embassies in Kathmandu were rounding up their last remaining nationals to fly home from Nepal, there were some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/many-foreigners-stay-put-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who refused to be repatriated</a>. They are still here, and they want to stay put.Immigration Department records show there are still 2,000 tourists who have been in Nepal since March. But over 250 of them from 50 countries have appealed through a Facebook group for the Nepal government to extend their visa permits till December.Some chose not to risk infection by travelling long-distances to go back home where conditions were sometimes much worse. Expensive repatriation flights did not help matters.  “Until now Nepal has been among the safest countries from COVID-19 crisis and it is safer to stay where people are right now,” says Australian Brett Adamek, admin of the Pokhara Noticeboard Facebook group. “Long-distance travel is daunting and dangerous especially when many tourists are elderly. If allowed to stay on, everyone is happy to pay for the extension.”Many of the foreigners staying in Nepal are not just enjoying an extended holiday, they are trying to help increase awareness about preventive measures against COVID-19, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/travellers-stuck-in-nepal-help-locals-in-need/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raise money for feeding programs</a>, assist in charities, or help farmers with new ideas to raise productivity.In June, the Department of Immigration announced that the stranded tourists would have to pay extra visa fee for overstaying due to the pandemic. After outrage on social media, the Home Ministry <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/no-visa-fees-for-tourists-stuck-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revised the decision</a> and said extension and overstay fees as well as fines would only be levied 15 days after the resumption of international flights.“As of now we are still going by the decision to allow 15 days after resumption of international flights for foreigners to leave the country. But we are expecting a new directive from the government in a few days,” says Madhusudan Bhattarai of the Department of Immigration. The Department itself has been sealed because a staff tested positive for COVID-19.But many of the foreigners who are located across the country from Ilam, Manang, Pokhara, Jomsom, Khumbu and Kathmandu say they want to remain in Nepal till December, and have promised to be in their best behaviour.Like Adamek, many of the foreigners who found themselves in Nepal when the flights were grounded in March, are nomads travelling around the world for years, and do not really have a ‘home country’ to get back to. Adamek himself is Australian but has been travelling across Asia for years, spending 15 years in Nepal and India. <figure><img width="720" height="499" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5aa9c7e80680e0736d8jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Briton Lesley D Junlakan has been in Nepal since 24 January, documenting her experience of the lockdown through photography. While she does spend five months a year in Nepal volunteering at monasteries in Kagbeni and Pokhara, this year she has not been able to go back to Thailand where she has been living since 2000.“If the government does not to allow foreigners to stay on, I will have to go to a third country because Thailand has not resumed commercial flights and I don’t want to go back to Britain where I have no home or family,” says Junlakan, who has also been supporting families of trekking guides who have no income because of the collapse of tourism.  There is also uncertainty regarding the resumption of international flights. The Cabinet on Monday concurred with the COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee recommendation that regular domestsic and international flights that were set to resume on 17 August be pushed back till 31 August. Airlines say even that date may be pushed back, and when regular flights do resume, their frequency and destinations will be reduced. Nepal Tourism Board CEO Dhananjay Regmi has advised the government to allow foreigners to stay on till December 2020, and charge them accordingly for their visa extension. At a time when even the autumn tourism season looks like it is going to be a flop, it would be logical to keep tourists who want to stay.“Many of them came for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit Nepal 2020</a> and they haven’t even got to experience it. The government’s positive response will also gain Nepal goodwill in the international community,” Regmi told Nepali Times, adding that he expects a positive response from the government.Andrea Anastasiou from Cyprus came to Nepal for the sixth time in late January to experience Visit Nepal 2020. Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) was on her to-do list, but the fear of COVID-19 followed by the lockdown pretty much confined her to a room in Patan."I would love the opportunity to stay on and explore more of the country given if restrictions are eased and it's safer to travel around again. I might not get to trek ABC, but a day-long hike inside the Valley would also be great," says Anastasiou.Cesar Morales (pictured right) was invited to train Nepali tennis players preparing for regional championships and for the Olympics that would have been taking place in Tokyo this week if it had not been for the pandemic. He was supposed to travel to Spain and Italy before flying home to Chicago, but has been stuck in Nepal since 13 March.Morales refused to be repatriated earlier because he did not want to risk infection while travelling long distance, and get back home to two elderly parents at a time when the pandemic was at its peak in Spain. The same reasons are still valid for US nationals stuck in Nepal.“<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-economy-already-weak-takes-direct-hit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s economy is struggling</a>, so allowing tourists already here to stay on would help local businesses,” adds Morales who has used his extra time in Nepal to continue training Nepali athletes six days a week in Kapan. “We can contribute not only in terms of economy but with our skills too. Allowing us to stay on will also let us help people here, which is a win-win situation.” <img width="600" height="800" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5ac9c7e80680e0736d9jpeg.jpg" alt="">Says Junlaken: “Most of us feel safe in Nepal and we have been doing with social distance and safety measures. Nepal government and Nepali people have been very kind to us so far and we are only asking for it to be extended for a little longer.”

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