• the introduction of a tough law against attacks on health • The ongoing prohibitory orders in the Valley workers or health organisations. have been extended up to 14 June with some ease in • The government has planned to vaccinate those restrictions. From 4 June, the grocery stores, department between 60 and 64 years of age from 8 June in all 77 stores, vegetable shops, dairy shops, meat shops, gas districts. store have started to open until 9 AM every morning. • The news/stories captured in terms of stigma and • 75 out of 77 districts (including our working districts) discrimination in May 2021 were 47: Frontline workers- have imposed lockdown/prohibitory order. health workers/ journalists-13; patients- 11; home • The cases of black fungus or mucormycosis, have also isolation-3; daily wage earners-5; caste/community been detected in . Around 10 to 12 cases of black based-2; gender-based violence- 4; fungus have been reported in various hospitals in rape/domestic/sexual harassment-5; and Others- 4. Kathmandu, and Nepalgunj. • USA has announced COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal and • In Banke, health workers of Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj other nations: It is not immediately clear how many have been protesting in the hospital premises since May doses Nepal would get of the 7 million doses it has 30 demanding protection for doctors. Medical allocated for more than a dozen Asian countries. Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Prakash Thapa, said • Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has issued a notice on that the health workers have been protesting the new standards of passenger arrival to Nepal. As per it, all frequent incidents of mistreatment of doctors and other incoming passengers will have to produce a medical health workers and demanding strict action against the certificate with negative RT-PCR issued within 72 hours perpetrators. Doctors and health workers working at the before the flight. They will also have to produce 10 days hospital were mistreated over the death of a patient on hotel booking documents for quarantine (few exception 27 May. cases are listed). RT-PCR tests to be taken on the 4th and • President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on 6 June issued an 11th day of their arrival. ordinance amending the existing Security of Health • As Nepal enters the monsoon season, the Government Workers and Health Organisations Act. The president and the cluster system are working to update and agree issued the ordinance presented by the Council of a monsoon preparedness and response plan. Ministers, which has garnered attention especially after

(Source: MoHP,UN, Media)

Doti, Achham, Dailekh, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya and Dhading (based on the DCA’s partners’ weekly report and weekly meeting)

• The partners in DCA’s working Districts have realised leaving them jobless, also there are no quarantines that the Helpdesks can be used as medium to provide established for them. Some health centres reported awareness, tracing the clusters or areas that needs to that currently there is no scarcity of safety materials. be counselling regarding the issue and we can also There is a need for hygiene kits and PCR, antigen tests mobilise the resource workers such as volunteers, and social counselling in some areas. DCA partner has FSHC for door-to-door checkup and referral. also started mobile SMSs for haring COVID-19 • To reduce the cases for GBV, partners are opting the awareness messages. tele-phonic medium for counselling, advocacy, • In Bardiya District, even with the increase of cases, providing online health counselling from doctors and community people are seen out. There is lack of providing the link with respective authority. awareness and people cured of COVID-19, are seen • Awareness about health and safety protocols still mixing up with other community people. Agricultural lacks in the community. produce is being sold door to door on bicycles. Almost • Unlike during 2020, during which the fear of COVID- every family has 1-2 members who are suffering from 19 carriers were the migrant returnees, the fever, headache, cough in the community. DCA’s transmission is suspected to have increased at the partner- TWUC has arranged a toll-free number for community level with limited precautionary risk management. measures adopted. • In Kailali District, daily wages people are facing • Where available, many people are not interested to unemployment. In this season farmers must plant have PCR testing due to fear of being stigmatised. While the remote locations do not have the facility of grains in their fields, however, there is the scarcity of testing at all. manures. Food scarcity has been a problem in many • Cases of GBV, psycho-social imbalance, stress and areas. The vaccination campaign has been started in anxiety has visibly increased. different areas of Kailali District such as Malakheti, • In , the situation of migrant workers is Lakmichuwa and Gauriganga Municipality. challenging as they do not have work nor land for • In Kanchanpur District, migrant workers from India cultivation. The area is highly affected by COVID-19 are still entering Nepal and some migrants are going due to the open border between Nepal and India. back to India for work. DCA partner has supported There is a lack of medical supplies in the hospitals. Bheemdatta municipality in antigen test campaign in the community through mobile camps. Baijanath Rural Municipality has started antigen tests • In Doti District, there is a big challenge to public and free ambulance service for COVID-19 patients. health, food systems and employment opportunities. Khajura Rural municipality also started distributing Enterprises/local business face an existential threat. hygiene kits to people in home isolation. Farmers, daily wage and self-employed, women are • In , community people are sick, but facing poverty, malnutrition, and poor health. Relief they are not ready to go for PCR test. People have no support and support to health institutions, isolation employment. Many migrant returnees are back management is very much needed. Awareness raising initiatives need to be taken forward.

• COVID -19 awareness messages being shared through mobile SMSes. • Voice messages being sent out to the community on safety measures on COVID-19, through the mobile database in 4 Palikas in Achham District. • Awareness raising jingles against COVID-19, and GBV are being broadcasted regularly through the local radio station in all the districts. • A toll-free number for the community to reach out with their queries and help promote COVID-19 awareness, mental wellbeing, GBV has been set up. • Networks of Youth, women, Dalit and CSOs are being mobilised in the distribution process. • Scope to introduce cash for work modality to support the migrant returnees and daily wage labours is being conducted in Bheemdatta Municipality of Kanchanpur District, in close coordination with the LG. • Masks were handed over to the mask bank in Bheri District, where 98 families were also supported with eggs for nutritious diet.

Among the six help desks established by DCA and partners in various districts, two of them have been established by partner NNSWA in in Belauri and Laljhadi Rural Municipalities of Kanchanpur District. The volunteers have been mobilised in each of the help desks, who would provide counselling services over phone, distribute safety equipment (masks, sanitisers, gloves) to the visitors, home isolation kits to the vulnerable, among others. Those requiring emergency health services are linked with the hospitals and health facilities through the arrangement of necessary logistics. In addition, nutritious food support is also provided to the neediest people in the initiation of help desks. This initiative has been possible through close coordination and collaboration with the Local Governments in the respective Rural Municipalities.

DCA, through its local partner FEDO, has joined hands to support the most vulnerable people getting medical service and the frontliners in the Bheri Zonal Hospital with food support that is good for approximately 1,400 people. Similarly, hygiene kits including masks, sanitiser, gloves to be used at the zonal hospital were also handed over.