Lockdown defiance up in valley

KATHMANDU, JUNE 7

Defiance of the lockdown imposed by the government to check the spread of the novel coronavirus has been on the rise inside Kathmandu valley, although the number of people contracting COVID-19 is growing exponentially across the country.

In the last couple of days, a large number of people have been coming out of their homes to earn their livelihood, caring little about the lockdown that has been in place since March 24. Even the traffic flow has increased and cops stationed across the valley have become lax as far as imposing the lockdown is concerned.

Showrooms and other stores selling non-essential goods have also begun opening in some areas of the capital, but customers are few and far between.

With no end in sight to the nationwide lockdown, shopkeepers in New Road, one of the busiest business centres in the valley, had on June 3 called all traders to defy the lockdown.

Since then, traders, firms and industries have begun defying the lockdown spontaneously, leading to resumption of businesses after over two months.

Hariram Shrestha, who runs a gift shop at Jadibuti, was spotted dusting off gift items that had gathered dust since he was opening shop after more than two months. “I may not get many customers for the time being, but if I open the shop daily, others will follow suit and that may help the economy roll once again,” Shrestha said.

The general refrain among shopkeepers and traders is that the lockdown has not been effective in fulfilling the sole purpose for which it was imposed — to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus — since the disease has already spread to 71 districts. The number of cases has surged in the past couple of weeks, with 3,448 people contracting COVID-19 in Nepal so far, of which 13 have lost their lives. The number of people contracting the virus inside the valley is 37, with two fatalities.

“We have to earn a living amid the outbreak. We fear people will die of hunger before they contract the virus,” said a shop owner at Koteshwor. Others say that the lockdown has only added to hardships of the public.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Niraj Bahadur Shahi, who is also the spokesperson for Nepal Police, said they had not received any order from the government to let people come out of their homes without an emergency.

“The last time the lockdown was extended till June 14. People are expected to stay at home during the lockdown period and carry valid passes if they venture out in vehicles. We are mandated to take action against those who come out of their homes defying the lockdown without valid reasons or pass,” said DIG Shahi.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 8, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

The post Lockdown defiance up in valley appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

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