By Pushpa Raj Pradhan
Our Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the government led by him has done all the best in preventing and controlling corona virus pandemic. At a virtual conference with the editors of government media, Oli didn’t miss to denounce the media persons for criticizing the government.
The PM was indicating towards reports produced in media, along with photographs of hundreds of thousand labourers going home on foot travelling hundreds of kms of walk. Many pregnant women, children were also seen going home on foot due to lack of public transportation.
“Lockdown is lockdown”
Reports that the low income group people who were managing two-time meals by doing labour works, were compelled to go home on foot when they faced scarcity of food. People’s Review weekly had also published a report on people walking back to their home last week.
This trend is still continues even during the fourth week of lockdown. The Supreme Court has already given the verdict to the government to reach those people willing to go home from Kathmandu and other districts; allow people stuck across Nepal-India borders and manage relief for those who are facing food scarcity. The government has not responded even to the court order! The people are stuck in their homes, moreover, those students and labourers, who have rented only one room, they are stuck inside the room as Police have not allowed them to go down to the streets.
Even the members of the High-level Coordination Committee to Prevent and Control coronavirus pandemic had confessed and decided to manage transportation to reach those people stuck in Kathmandu to their homes, however, the decision was changed within an hour due to lack of coordination among the ministries.
PM Oli believes, lockdown is the only medicine to control and prevent coronavirus pandemic. He said to his ministers, “Lockdown is lockdown. Nobody is allowed to walk in the streets, all should follow this lockdown!”
Of course, lockdown is important to stop the spread of the pandemic. Along with lockdown, massive level coronavirus test also had to be conducted with throat swab sample test as medical experts say that it will give accurate results. However, the Health Ministry is relying on rapid tests which will indicate only anti-body cells and experts have suggested for not relying on such tests.
Research laboratories under the Tribhuvan University have time and again claimed that they have modern equipment which can conduct tests of large number of people at once but the Health Ministry didn’t wish to take support from these institutions, rather, it wished to use rapid test kits imported by controversial Omni International Group from China by paying above 48 percent higher price than the actual market price. This is an example of how the greedy officers are playing with the health of the local people and how they are intending to make money even during such a pandemic situation! Unfortunately, the PM is defending the very controversial deal. The account officer, who had opposed the deal and denied to pay the bill of the Omni Group, was overnight transferred to the Jail Department. Likewise, when Dr. Sher Bahadur Pun said that the people should not be worried from positive rapid test reports, he was called at the Ministry for clarification.
We are aware that rapid test kits can conduct many samples at short period but in many cases, the rapid test report has been altered by throat swab test report.
Last week, we had suggested to demark districts or local bodies free from corona virus outbreak and to seal the district by allowing people inside the district to carry out their economic as well as agricultural activities. However, the government seems to keep the entire country lockdown by stopping all activities!
Still people are coming from India
The government has announced sealing of the Nepal-India borders, yet, due to lack of presence of Nepali border security force, the trend of people entering Nepal from India has not been stopped.
Just recently, a group of people arrived in Nawalparashi District from India and later local bodies took them to quarantine.
This is an example that the government has not even been able to manage necessary border security force, on the other hand, under the political influence, many ex-VIPs are keeping security personnel and government vehicles for their personal use. This is the misuse of government facilities.
Arrival from India is the problem:
Suspending international flights and also domestic flights has helped international migration of coronavirus pandemic, however, the government has not been able to totally stop arrival of people from India, which has alarmed on spread of the pandemic by such individuals.
In India, and in specially the states bordering with Nepal’s districts are identified as the red zones for coronavirus outbreak. Coronavirus infected rate and death number has inclined at an alarming level in India. If we fail to seal our borders with India, the ongoing lockdown cannot be fruitful!
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