Country Goes Under Lockdown for a Week Starting Today

WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 35 | 12 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 32.6 C 1.7 C Tuesday, March 24, 2020 | 11-12-2076 Jankapur Jomsom Country goes under lockdown for a week starting today All public movement outside of the home, except to seek medical attention or purchase essential foodstuff, has been prohibited.

TIKA R PRADHAN via the nearest police station or the KATHMANDU, MARCH 23 Health Ministry. All flights have also been suspend- The entire country will go on a lock- ed, except those of security forces. down for a week starting 6am on Private industries, except for those Tuesday, amid concerns over the involved in medicine and medical spread of Covid-19. equipment, foodstuff, drinking water, A meeting of the high-level commit- milk and fuel, will have to send their tee for the prevention and control of employees on leave. Covid-19, led by Deputy Prime Anyone defying the government Minister Ishwar Pokhrel, took the order will be booked under the decision on Monday evening, hours Infectious Disease Control Act. after a second coronavirus case was According to the Act, violators are confirmed. liable for a jail term of a month or a Prabhat Katuwal, a personal aide to Rs100 fine, or with both. Pokhrel, confirmed that there will be All government services, except a nationwide lockdown from Tuesday those related to daily essentials, will morning. “Mobility of people, except be closed and government officials for emergencies, will be halted,” kept on alert for emergencies. Katuwal told the Post. The eight-point order, however, does The Ministry of Health said on not explicitly list the media or press as Monday afternoon that a 19-year-old an essential service that will be Nepali student who had returned from allowed to stay open. As per the Nepal France via Qatar tested positive for Gazette, the media and press are cate- Covid-19. “We have decided to go for a gorised as essential services. Point No. lockdown from 6am Tuesday for a 4 includes information and communi- week,” said Bhanubhakta Dhakal, cation services, but does not explicitly POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA minister for health and population, say ‘the media or press’. A child studies in a room wearing a face mask at his home in Chhauni, Kathmandu, on Monday. The government had decided to close all schools, colleges and universities until April 12. who is a member of the committee. On Friday, when Prime Minister KP In an eight-point order released by Sharma Oli announced a partial lock- the committee, all public movement down, there were already indications outside of the home, except to seek that the administration was preparing medical attention or purchase essen- for a complete lockdown. CULTURE & ARTS | 10 tial foodstuff, has been prohibited. All At least two ministers in the Oli 19-year-old woman who returned from public and private vehicles, except for administration had told the Post that a those with prior permission, those decision for a complete lockdown was The mantras of belonging to security forces and those underway. Speaking at a parliamenta- for health workers, are also forbidden ry committee on Sunday, Minister for making working from France via Qatar tests positive for Covid-19 from the streets. “People can come out Industry, Commerce and Supplies home possible of their homes to buy essentials as Lekhraj Bhatta had said that the gov- ARJUN POUDEL her roommate in France informed health workers have been deployed shops selling essential goods will ernment was “studying the Chinese KATHMANDU, MARCH 23 her that she had tested positive for to trace all other possible contacts remain open,” Foreign Minister model” to control the spread of the Covid-19. she could’ve had.” Pradeep Gyawali told the Post. “A spe- virus. After the rapid spread of the A 19-year-old Nepali student who Nasal and throat swabs were Health workers, however, were cific time has not been allocated as coronavirus in late December in returned to Nepal from France via drawn and sent to the National not deployed until late Monday that will cause crowds at the stores.” Wuhan, China had enforced a com- Qatar on March 17 has tested posi- Public Health Laboratory, which afternoon to trace all of the wom- Despite Gyawali’s assurances, most plete lockdown, restricting the move- tive for Covid-19. confirmed the presence of Covid-19 an’s contacts. shops are likely to remain closed as ments of more than 30 million people. According to Minister for Health on Sunday, Dhakal said at a press Dr Basudev Pandey, director of shopkeepers too need to transport That measure, however, was ultimate- and Population Bhanu Bhakta meet organised on Monday. the Epidemiology and Disease their goods and get to their stores. ly hailed as an effective measure in Dhakal, the student has been admit- According to the minister, the Control Division, the agency For those who suspect they might preventing the spread of Covid-19. ted to the Sukraraj Tropical and patient was admitted to the Teku responsible for mobilising person- have Covid-19, the government has “The government was saying that Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku. hospital’s isolation ward on Sunday nel to track down contacts, conced- formed a Patient Receiving Team the country would go for a lockdown if The woman, who had been in night after Covid-19 was confirmed. ed that although he knew about the under the leadership of the home min- the situation deteriorated,” said self-quarantine since returning “People who came in close con- live Covid-19 case, it had taken him ister to transport such suspected Health Minister Dhakal. “That time from France, was brought to the tact with the patient are also being some time to deploy personnel. patients to the hospital, said Gyawali. has come.” Sukraraj Hospital on Friday after monitored,” Dhakal said. “And >> Continued on page 4 A rescue team visit can be arranged (Binod Ghimire contributed reporting) For Nepali migrant workers abroad, no hearth and no home As Nepal has closed itself off to all incomers, including its own citizens. Even Nepali migrants who have visas expiring are unable to come back home.

POST FILE PHOTO Gulf countries, Malaysia and South Korea, which have been affected by Covid-19, host a large number of Nepali migrants.

CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL KATHMANDU, MARCH 23

As Covid-19 began to spread and occupancy fell in the hotel that he was working at, Laxman Lamichhane decided that he would come home. Lamichhane was planning to fly back from the United Arab Emirates on April 10, the day his vacation days began, but when the Nepal government’s increasing restrictions on travel, he was forced to change his plans. Last Wednesday, the Nepal government imposed travel restrictions as a measure to prevent the coronavirus from entering the country. As per the government ban, all passengers, including Nepalis, from the European Union, the United Kingdom, West Asia, Gulf countries and countries like Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, were restricted from March 20 until April 15. The travel restriction was also applicable for all passengers transiting in these locations. “Most tourist destinations in the UAE are closed and there is not much work in the hospitality industry,” said Lamichhane. “My vacation was starting on April 10 but as there was a travel restriction in place, I had to change my plans.” >> Continued on page 4

C M Y K TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 | 02 MEDLEY

Inside the Post Quote of the day

540 returning from India leave ‘rescue facility’, Page 1 National

The government has barred gatherings of more than 25 people to prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, state agencies themselves are ignoring the order. “We were at high risk of contracting coronavirus at the facility. More than Opinion 30 people were kept in one room. We All crises present great opportunities to leaders. We Nepalis are already big fans of Oli’s personal resilience--fighting his health condition and emerging victori- thought it better to leave than stay ous. Yet, we need to see this extend to the conduct of national affairs. in such a crowded place.” Culture & Arts Netra Bahadur BK, a migrant worker returning from India, on the situation Working from home demands you supervise your own actions and work amidst a inside the facility built in Banke to keep the Nepalis returning from India myriad of distractions. It becomes easier to give in to temptations and escape amid Covid-19 travel restrictions. work responsibilities, especially when we can not mentally associate work with our homes Money Most read online With people more concerned about having adequate stocks of essential food items and cooking gas, buying meat is low in their priority list. Livestock traders said Test, test, test, says WHO but Nepal has neither the means meat sales were down 35 percent across the country, with the price of chicken nor the matter meat seeing a steep decline of Rs70-80 per kg. Sandeep Rai arrived at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Sports Teku on Sunday with his colleagues Anuj Adhikari and Habin Bhandari. All three work for a subcontract partner of Huawei Technologies Co, where their None of the teams based in Italy’s northern Lombardy region around Milan most supervisor had asked them to take a Covid-19 test as one of their colleagues had heavily hit by the virus have expressed an interest in playing any time soon. But been down with fever, sore throat and body aches for the past several days. this is not the case for those based around Rome or playing in southern regions that have been relatively spared in the first month of an outbreak. 19-year-old woman who returned from France via Qatar tests positive for Covid-19 A 19-year-old Nepali student who returned to Nepal from France via Qatar on March 17 has tested positive for Covid-19. According to Minister for Health News Quiz Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, the student has been admitted to the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku. 1. Which of the following Gulf b. 10 Birgunj-based businessman reported to have contracted countries has imposed a curfew c. 14 POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA between 7 pm and 6 am for 21 d. 21 A worker wearing a face mask transports cement sacks in Jadibuti, Kathmandu. Covid-19 tests negative for the virus days starting Monday? A Birgunj resident, who was earlier reported to have tested positive for Covid-19, a. Qatar 4. Lorenzo Sanz, who died of coro- has tested negative for the coronavirus that causes the disease. The 52-year-old b. Iraq navirus on Saturday, was the businessman from Birgunj was admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital c. Kuwait former president of which foot- on suspicion of contracting the disease. d. Saudi Arabia ball club? On this day in history a. Boca Juniors Government to close down border with India 2. How much money has the gov- b. Juventus ernment put in the Covid-19 c. Real Madrid Kashmiri rebel leader meets US envoy and China for a week response fund? d. Liverpool The government has decided to close down its borders with both India and a. Rs200 million NEW DELHI - A top Kashmiri rebel leader, who advocates secession from India, China for a week, effective from 10am Monday, to deal with the ongoing Covid-19 b. Rs500 million 5. When did the 19-year-old met the US ambassador to India on Wednesday and urged Washington to broker outbreak. A Cabinet meeting on Sunday took a decision to this effect. c. Rs700 million Nepali student, who tested posi- peace between India and Pakistan. d. Rs900 million tive for Covid-19 on Sunday, Shahir Ahmed Shah, 42, chief of the pro-Pakistan Jammu and Kashmir arrive in Nepal from France Peoples League, is in New Delhi to lobby with envoys of western countries for 3. Nepal has sealed its borders via Qatar? independence of the only Muslim-majority state in predominantly Hindu India. with India and China for how a. March 14 America is in a position to persuade India and Pakistan to reach a political many days starting Monday? b. March 17 solution involving representatives of the Kashmiri people, Shah told the Corrections a. 7 c. March 20 Associated Press after his 90-minute meeting with Frank Wisner, the US ambas- d. March 22 sador. An embassy spokesman confirmed that the meeting took place in The news report ‘Test, test, test, says WHO but Nepal has neither the means nor Wisner’s office but did not comment on the discussions. the matter” published on Pg 1, Monday, March 23, said the three people who had 6. Who is the first Chinese Super visited the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital for Covid-19 tests League player to test positive The Kathmandu Post work at Huawei Technologies Nepal. They do not. They work for one of Huawei’s for Covid-19? March 24, 1995 subcontract partners. a. Mubarak Wakaso If you believe we have got something wrong and it requires correction, please b. Ayoub El Kaabi email us at [email protected] with “correction” in the subject line. c. Sone Aluko Answers to News Quiz: 1(d), 2(b), 3(a), 4(c), 5(b), 6(d) For the most recent corrections, visit kathmandupost.com/corrections. POST PHOTO d. Marouane Fellaini HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) CANCER (June 22-July 22) LIBRA (September 23-October 22) CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) *** *** **** *** The future belongs to people who think for If you can be flexible, you’ll have a much There has been some distance growing between There could be a big case of the blahs going themselves, so where does that leave you? Being better day. Try to have a sense of humour you and a friend. Don’t worry that the relation- around your group today, so don’t expect to get a a part of the crowd is important, and you cer- about doing things you don’t want to do. Not ship is coming to an end. Friendships aren’t lot done unless you wake everybody up out of tainly don’t want to create tension among your only will it keep you happier, but being able to always just about having fun. They should be their stupor! You might have to work extra hard people. But when you start agreeing to things adapt will help you rise above all the pettiness about growing, too, which means growing pains to get everyone to step out of their usual routine that you don’t actually believe in, that’s too far that others create and keep you out of any are inevitable. You two are good for each other, and start thinking outside the box, but you’ll over the line. drama. so focus on that. have fun doing it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) LEO (July 23-August 22) SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** *** ** *** You need to avoid getting involved in anything If your strategy for making a change in your life People might have a tough time agreeing with Someone is going to be inspired by you today. that looks like a power struggle today. First, you is based on hoping for things to be different, you you about what is the right way to go about Your recent accomplishments are making them don’t need the drama in your life right now. And need to find a different approach! A friend’s doing things, but the reason they’re resisting think twice about things, and now they might second, there is never a real winner in situa- ideas might not sound very earthshaking to you, your solutions might have less to do with the want to instigate a change or two in their life. tions like these. Sure, there is someone who but if you follow their advice, you could soon see quality of the ideas and more to do with their Unfortunately, you probably see complications comes out on top, but the resentment directed at that a small alteration in your daily routine has own egos. Their insecurities are leading to con- in their plan. Should you rain on their parade or the victor is too isolating to be ignored. a ripple effect on the rest of your life. flict right now, so don’t take them seriously. support them blindly?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) VIRGO (August 23-September 22) SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** **** *** *** Try to avoid preachy people today, especially the Having a routine can help you get things done If you’re currently in a relationship, you It’s a fine idea to plan ahead, but make sure ones you don’t agree with! They won’t pay atten- more quickly, but it can also make things a little should be prepared to roll up your sleeves and you’re doing it with facts and not just wishes tion to a new point of view and will go to great bit boring. If you’re looking for a way to make get to work. Some issues could pop up that and hopes. Daydreaming about your future is lengths to mock it. This kind of ignorance is not your regular way of doing things a little bit dif- you’ll need to deal with. It’s nothing that will be like playing pretend—it’s lots of fun, but not something you ever enjoy, so why put up with it? ferent, ask a few friends for advice. Find out all that difficult, but it will be time-consuming. very appropriate for grown-ups. Today, stop pic- If it’s a powerful person who’s spouting all the how they keep variety in their life and try to Plus, all the work you put in will bring the two turing what your life will be like in a decade and hot air, just walk away. apply one or two of their tactics to your day. of you closer. just focus on making it better now.

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K 03 | TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 NATIONAL Over 400 Nepalis on their way home stranded in New Delhi SURESH RAJ NEUPANE NEW DELHI, MARCH 23

Around 400 Nepalis, most of them working in various cities in India, have been stranded in New Delhi amid coronavirus lockdown. They were on their way home. Nepali migrant workers based in Bangalore, Chandigarh and Shimla, among other places, had arrived in the Indian capital city to return to Nepal. On Sunday, India was placed under ‘people’s curfew’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a result of the curfew, the travel plans of Nepalis were disrupted. Starting Monday, New Delhi has suspended all passenger trains and inter-state bus services while 75 districts of various states, including Uttar Pradesh, from where coronavirus cases have been reported, have been put under lockdown. The lockdown orders have stranded all home- bound Nepalis. “We came to know about the closure only after we arrived in New Delhi,” said Santosh Chunara of Dailekh, who was spotted at Anand Vihar Bus Terminal in Delhi. Chunara, who works at a hotel in Bangalore, decided to return home after Covid-19 cases started to rise in India. “Fear has gripped the people, work is down. So I decided to return home,” said Chunara. Chunara and his friends were dis- cussing their further plans but were not sure what they should do in the time of lockdown. “Most of us work in hotels and restaurants in Bangalore and our owners asked us to take leave of one to two months,” said Pramash Tamata of Nawagadh Rural Municipality in POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI Darchula. Nil Kaji Shakya, chairperson of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No. 25 sprays disinfectant at Janbahal. on Monday. With Indian police now preventing people from gathering, Nepalis stranded at the bus park are further confused. “We are stuck on the streets here. We can’t go anywhere. Police prevent us from going to any places,” said 540 returning from India leave ‘rescue facility’ Chunara. Around 25 Nepalis are also stranded in Chattarpur in New Delhi. They Local authorities had brought those stranded at the Jamunaha-Rupaidiha border to Nepalgunj on Monday after movement of people was banned. were also heading home from Bangalore. They have nowhere to go as bus services have been cancelled MADHU SHAHI A Cabinet meeting on Sunday had hid in the surrounding fields. We tried them from the border in the morning. due to a lockdown announced by the NEPALGUNJ, MARCH 23 decided to close all border points with to stop them but we could not.” We were making necessary arrange- New Delhi government. India and China for a week starting They complained “We were at high risk of contract- ments, but they ran away,” said Uma “We were planning to take a bus A total of 540 Nepalis brought to 10am on Monday. ing coronavirus at the facility. More Thapa, deputy mayor of Nepalgunj from here and reach Darchula through Nepalgunj on Monday morning from As many Nepalis arrived at the that the campus was than 30 people were kept in one room. sub-metropolis. Pithoragarh. But there are no buses the Jamunaha border crossing and Jamunaha-Rupaidiha crossing on overcrowded and We thought it better to leave than stay The local administration, however, here and we have nowhere to go,” said kept at Mahendra Multiple Campus Monday morning, district authorities in such a crowded place,” said Netra claimed the place where the Tamata. have left the ‘rescue facility’. allowed the returnees to enter Nepal mismanaged. Bahadur BK of Bardiya, one of the returnees were kept was not a quaran- Stranded Nepalis have demanded Banke District Administration and kept them at the campus. migrant workers returning from India tine facility. “It was not a quarantine that the Nepal government help them Office and Nepalgunj Sub- The returnees said authorities kept on Monday. facility. We were only accommodating return home at the earliest. metropolitan City had brought 540 them at a mismanaged, overcrowded fence and left. The rest followed suit. But authorities said they were plan- them there until we made other Various Nepali organisations in Nepalis stranded at the Nepal-India and poorly-equipped facility, and A policeman stationed at the cam- ning to prepare a quarantine facility arrangements,” said Kumar Bahadur New Delhi said they are coordinating border after it was closed on Monday demanded that they be allowed to pus, said, “Some of them hopped onto for the returnees. “We kept around 540 Khadka, chief district officer of with the Nepali embassy in New Delhi morning. leave. Some of the people climbed the auto rickshaws and left while others people at the camp after we brought Banke. to rescue the stranded people. State can help people and Government banned gatherings of over 25, but businesses as long as it its own agencies, House panel ignore the fiat contains infection, experts say Hearing committee endorses envoy for China amid a crowd, health minister holds a presser. PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA the people and businesses hit by the KATHMANDU, MARCH 23 pandemic.” BINOD GHIMIRE Pandey also suggested that the Prime KATHMANDU, MARCH 23 At a time when the government is strug- Minister Employment Programme should gling to meet its revenue target, its liabili- support the daily wage earners who are The federal parliament has been ty is only likely to grow if it is required to losing their jobs due to slowed economic postponed indefinitely and most of bail out the industries hit hard by the activities. the government offices have been impact of Covid-19 pandemic. “For struggling businesses, the govern- closed to prevent the spread of According to the Finance Ministry, it ment can provide interest subsidy on the Covid-19. Similarly, the government could raise revenue around just Rs570 bil- bank loans,” said Pandey. has barred gatherings of more than lion as of mid-March against the target of Former Finance Secretary Rameshore 25 people. Rs683 billion, a substantial gap between Khanal does not see the need to roll out However, state agencies them- target and achievement. bailout package at the moment. selves are ignoring the order. Economic experts say while the govern- “Except for tourism, other businesses The Parliamentary Hearing ment will find it harder to raise more have not been hit hard. The government Committee on Monday held its meet- revenue in the coming months due to could support the tourism sector—hotels, ing twice to approve the recommen- slowed economic activities, should the restaurants, airlines and travel and trek- dation of Mahendra Pandey as the necessity arises to rescue businesses as a king agencies, among others by providing ambassador to China. The hearing result of Covid-19’s economic fallout, it interest subsidy in bank loans and committee, through its first will further strain the government’s rescheduling tax payment deadline with- meeting, finalised the modality financial position. out charging additional fees and interest,” to question Pandey and approved The Federation of Nepalese Chambers Khanal said. his recommendation from the of Commerce and Industry has already As for daily wage earners, particularly second meeting. requested the government to come up those in Kathmandu Valley, Khanal Officials at the Parliament with a rescue package for the tourism suggested that the government could Secretariat said the meeting was industry, which has borne the most brunt support them with cash handouts for food conducted because chances of hav- from the pandemic. The federation has and lodging. ing more than 25 people were mini- also sought rescheduling of loan repay- If the pandemic takes over Nepal like mal given the size of the committee. POST FILE PHOTO ment and tax. many other countries like China, the US The committee has 15 members this point,” Gopal Nath Yogi, acting necessary and pointing at the irony As long as the country can avoid new and the EU states, experts have warned and 12 of them were present during general secretary at the federal par- that Dhakal held a press conference infections, experts say the government that the cost of supporting the country’s the hearing. However, against the liament, told the Post. Health minister to share information of a new Covid- can support the sectors affected by the economy would be much higher. claim of the officials, more than 25 The position has been vacant after Dhakal’s press 19 case in Nepal, to control which global crisis. “The government will have to spend a people were present in the meeting, the government recalled Leela Mani the government has banned people’s So far, Nepal has recorded two cases of huge amount in the health sector con- including officials from the secretar- Paudyal from China. meet also received gatherings. Covid-19. While one of the patients has straining government ability to spend in iat, security people and journalists, The meeting unanimously “Was this crowd necessary? The already recovered the second is undergo- other sectors,” Shankar Sharma, former according to a lawmaker. endorsed the recommendation of a lot of flak on information could have been dis- ing treatment at the Sukraraj Tropical vice-chairman of National Planning “On Sunday, I had asked to post- Pandey, a former foreign minister seminated through the state media and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku, Commission, had told the Post last week. pone the hearing process but no one and a professor. social media. and social media platform. Please let Kathmandu. The government said that it has been took my advice,” Bhimsen Das There are many instances that us avoid such practice,” a user wrote Globally, the highly contagious virus as studying the impact of the Covid-19 pan- Pradhan, a member of the commit- ambassadorial positions in different on Twitter. of Monday afternoon had infected more demic by forming a task force led by a tee, told the Post. “Though there countries have been vacant for holding the gatherings. He also crit- “This is insane.... why can’t gov- than 349,000 people and caused more than joint secretary. were only 12 lawmakers, the total months. The ambassadorial berth in icised the press meet by the Health ernment hold these conferences live 15,000 deaths. “The task force is studying economic presence was over 25.” New Delhi remained vacant for over Ministry where dozens of people through Facebook, one national tele- “Obviously, the cost for the government indicator in each sector on a daily basis,” According to Pradhan, deferring a year after Deep Kumar Upadhyay were present to listen to Bhanu vision channel? Editors must ensure will grow but it is time to help the people said a joint secretary at the Finance the hearing for some days wouldn’t in October 2017 resigned to join poli- Bhakta Dhakal, health minister. the safety of the journos/staff,” and the businesses affected by the Covid- Ministry. have made much of a difference. tics. It was only in January last year “As we are least equipped, main- wrote another user. 19 pandemic,” said Poshraj Pandey, an Nepal Rastra Bank has also announced Officials, however, say as it is the government appointed Nilambar taining social distancing is the only Even on Sunday night, economist. through the mid-term review of the mon- uncertain how long the present cri- Acharya, a former law minister, as way to keep ourselves safe,” said Communication Minister Yubaraj “This is not the time to evaluate how etary policy that it could provide refi- sis lasts, they decided to complete the country’s ambassador to India. Pradhan. Khatiwada, also the finance minis- much revenue was raised. The govern- nance facility, restructuring and resched- the hearing process. Pradhan says Parliament and the Dhakal’s press meet, too, received ter, held a press conference to share ment has the fund that it has not been able uling of loans provided by banks to the “Also, the ambassador’s appoint- government that should be setting a lot of flak, with many taking to the decisions taken by the Cabinet to spend. That fund can be utilised to help businesses affected by the crisis. ment in Beijing is very necessary at the examples haven’t refrained from social media to question if it was meeting earlier in the evening.

C M Y K TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 | 04 NATIONAL 19-year-old woman who returned from France via Qatar ... >> Continued from page 1 “We had to conduct an orientation class to health workers and tell them about safety measures before they could be deployed,” said Pandey. Three health workers, including one from the World Health Organization’s country office in Nepal, have been deployed for contact tracing. These personnel will first meet with the patient, who is currently receiving treatment at the isolation ward at the Sukraraj Hospital, and quiz regarding her movements and contacts. Then they will visit her home to meet with her family members, who will be asked to take safety measures and remain in self-quarantine at home. They will not be put into quarantine at the Sukraraj Hospital or tested yet, said Pandey. “Unless symptoms develop, we will not place them in quarantine or test them,” he said. Ever since news broke of Nepal’s second Covid-19 patient, many have been living in fear that the woman might have spread the disease to friends, family members and area locals. The Post is withholding the identity of the woman and her neighbourhood in the interest of privacy. Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, director-general of the Department of Health Services, said that the government will not be putting any area under lockdown to prevent possible spread of the disease. When pressed on the exact measures that the contact POST PHOTO: KABIN ADHIKARI tracing team would be undertaking to A view of an empty road in the Capital on Monday. There were few vehicles on the Valley roads as the government had advised people to stay home to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus. contain the spread, Shrestha refused to divulge details. “We have several teams and they have started their work,” Shrestha told the Post. “It is not necessary to tell the public everything. It is like the work of a detective. Do the police give Hundreds of people entered Nepal on Monday the public all their information about how they catch a thief ?” According to Dr Sagar Rajbhandari, director of the Sukraraj Hospital, the patient’s health condition is normal. despite border closure amid Covid-19 threats As the patient had remained in self-quarantine and had used a private vehicle to come to the hospital, it is Most returnees said they did not know about the restriction imposed on crossing into Nepal since they had travelled a long distance to reach the border. unlikely that she has passed on the coronavirus to many others, he said. PARBAT PORTEL istration to observe self-isolation for cerned have not taken any steps to tine if necessary. But they can’t keep Eateries and local shops along the Earlier, a 31-year-old Nepali student KAKADVITTA, MARCH 23 seven days,” said Deputy quarantine the people entering the us here at the border,” said Tek border were also closed on Monday who had returned from Wuhan, the Superintendent of Police Rajendra country amid coronavirus outbreak. Bahadur Nepali, who was returning leaving most returnees without basic epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, On Monday, hundreds of Nepalis, Pokhrel of Area Police Office, “They should have stayed in quar- from Mumbai. provisions. was Nepal’s only case of coronavirus. returning home from various parts of Kakadbhitta. antine in India itself. But now that Nepali and the others were allowed Although public movement has The man recuperated and was India, waited on the other side of the A Cabinet meeting on Sunday had they are here, they should be quaran- to enter the country at around 6pm. been prohibited along the Sunauli bor- released. Mechi bridge in Kakadbhitta to be decided to close down all borders with tined. Self-isolation alone is not going Chief District Officer of Rupandehi der, the import of goods has contin- However, in that case, the man had allowed to enter Nepal. They protested India and China for a week, effective to work,” Pokhrel said. Mahadev Pantha said the details of ued. Before the border seal went into visited many people and places before against the government’s decision to from 10am Monday as a precaution In western Nepal, along the Sunauli incoming Nepalis were recorded effect, 867 had entered Nepal via coming to the hospital and in the live seal all borders effective Monday against the spread of Covid-19. border, a large number of Nepali before letting them in the country. Sunali border. case, the woman had been staying in onwards. Despite the border closure, the workers returning from Indian cities “As we don’t have a facility to quar- A group of 20 Nepalis on their way self-quarantine, said a doctor at However, by late evening, Province 1 Indian border forces had allowed near- like Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Benaras, antine all of them, we have recorded to Nepal via Belhi in Saptari also Sukraraj Hospital. Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai directed ly 300 Nepalis to cross the Mechi Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, among their details and allowed them entry faced similar confusion as they too “But we should not panic,” said the the local government and administra- bridge on Monday. When the incom- others, were also stopped for nearly on humanitarian ground. The details were stopped at the Belhi customs doctor who spoke on condition of tion to allow the Nepalis to enter ing Nepalis-- a majority of whom were eight hours before they were finally will be sent to the concerned district point in Tilathi Koiladi Rural anonymity. “The patient does not Nepal. Rai said that he has informed students and migrant workers-- were allowed to enter. administration offices so that every Municipality. They were returning have any severe symptoms and has the federal government about the stopped by the border security forces Most of the returnees claimed that individual could be traced if needed,” from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab in told us that she complied with all entry of Nepali passengers from India in Kakadbhitta, the situation turned they did not know about the travel Pantha said. India. safety measures.” from the border point. tense. They were finally allowed in at restrictions since they had travelled a Meanwhile, the government’s deci- As of March 23, more than 345, 390 “The people who entered the coun- the instruction of Chief Minister Rai. long distance across India to reach sion to build an isolation ward in (Madhav Dhungana from Covid-19 infections have been report- try through the Kakadbhitta border DSP Rajendra Pokhrel of the Area Sunauli. “The authorities can run a Butwal, 25-km from Nepal-India bor- Bhairawaha and Abdesh Kumar Jha ed in 192 countries and territories, have been advised by the local admin- Police Office said the authorities con- medical check on us. Put us in quaran- der, is yet to come to fruition. from Saptari contributed reporting) with more than 14,925 deaths. Security measures stepped up in Province 2 For Nepali migrant ...

>> Continued from page 1 Bhandari, a chef at a five-star hotel in A last-minute change meant he had to Dubai. “With restrictions on both sides, after man dies of coronavirus in Bihar pay double the airfare. According to the UAE government will not allow us to Lamichhane, he paid 2,061 dirham, leave and the Nepal government will not roughly Rs 67,000, for a one-way ticket. let us enter. I cannot even travel via a Border authorities on either side have banned pedestrians and vehicles from crossing the frontier. The same ticket would cost him between transit country like India.” 1,000 to 1,200 dirham (Rs32,600-Rs39,000) After announcing the travel restric- BHUSAN YADAV on normal days. tions, the government had asked BIRGUNJ, MAR 23 Lamichhane landed at Tribhuvan all Nepalis abroad to get in touch International Airport on Thursday with Nepali embassies and consulates Province 2 authorities have increased evening, hours before the travel restric- for clarity on how to proceed. But a vigilance along the Nepal-India bor- tion came into place. But there are thou- large number of Nepali workers der after a person died of Covid-19 in sands of others like him, who remain in have been taking to social media to the neighbouring Indian state of foreign lands, unemployed and unable to reach out to Nepali missions abroad Bihar on Sunday. Local authorities come back home. with complaints. have urged security personnel All the major labour destinations for “My visa will expire on March 28. At deployed at various border points in Nepali migrant workers, like Malaysia, present, I cannot travel to Nepal. But all eight districts of the province to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, will I be an illegal migrant worker after remain alert. The authorities have Kuwait, Oman and South Korea, have my visa expiry? I was thinking of going also started screening individuals been gripped by Covid-19. The UAE home on March 27,” Prakash KC wrote returning from India for symptoms alone has at least 14o confirmed cases on the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia’s akin to Covid-19. with two deaths. Facebook Page. With the ‘Janata curfew’ (people’s Migrant workers in these countries Although the government’s move is curfew) in effect in India on Sunday are simultaneously dealing with fears of aimed at preventing the Covid-19 pan- for 14 hours, the province saw a rela- infection, job losses and uncertainty demic from overwhelming Nepal, impos- tively low movement of people in the regarding whether they will be able to ing such harsh restrictions in a such border area. Nonetheless, there was return home anytime soon. short span of time has left Nepali a heavy presence of security On Friday evening, Prime Minister migrants with few means of recourse. personnel at various border cross- KP Sharma Oli extended the travel “Remaining in foreign lands will only ings, including Jatahi of Dhanusa restriction to encompass all flights, add to their expenses, especially as many district and Matihani of Mahottari including those from China, Bhutan, might have sent back remittance and district. Thailand and Singapore, which were could be empty-handed,” said Nepal. The Birgunj-Raxaul border point, exempted from the initial decision, until “Most importantly, their right to mobili- one of the major points linking March 31, with a possibility of exten- ty has been curtailed, although the Nepal and India, also saw a fewer sion. This has effectively closed all ave- restriction measure was imposed for number of people crossing the bor- nues of return for migrants. safety reasons. Now, they cannot return der. “A large number of migrant workers to their own country and their right to Border authorities on either side POST PHOTO: AJIT TIWARI across all the labour destination coun- return to their homeland has been vio- Local authorities have urged security personnel deployed at various border points in all eight districts of the province to remain alert. tries have been affected by the travel lated.” restrictions,” said Yubaraj Nepal, direc- According to Nepal, their home coun- have banned pedestrians and vehi- various border points. “The authori- of people through the border point. tor of the Centre for Migration and try has treated its own citizens as outsid- cles, including two-wheelers and ties must urge all citizens, including “The Bairganiya border point has International Relations, a non-govern- ers while host countries do not care e-rickshaws, from crossing the people from the other side, to observe never been this empty, not even dur- mental organisation working for much about migrant workers. Qatar border. self-quarantine,” said Singh, adding ing strikes called by political par- migrant welfare. “Many visas have deported hundreds of Nepali workers DSP Amar Khatri of the Armed that they should be treated at the ties,” said Lakhan Sah, who runs a expired while others with flight tickets just last week. Police Force, deployed at the Birgunj isolation ward of a hospital only paan shop nearby. “People have been were unable to fly. They are living in Meanwhile, migrant workers like customs, informed that six Indian after showing symptoms of aware of the spread of coronavirus, uncertainty about their status once Bhandari have been waiting for the situ- nationals were denied entry after Covid-19. but there is a sense of fear in the past restrictions are lifted.” ation to normalise so that they can they showed symptoms similar to Likewise, the flow of people from few days.” Four of Lamichhane’s colleagues had return home. that of Covid-19. either side of the border at In view of the Covid-19 outbreak in similar plans of coming home because “In such a crisis or even during nor- Dr Niraj Singh of the Birgunj- Bairganiya in Rautahat district was India, the Saptari administration has of the Covid-19 crisis. While Lamichhane mal circumstances, we definitely want based Narayani Hospital pointed out also low. Health officials at the help also banned the entry of people from returned, the others are still in Dubai, to go home and spend time with our that the administration should prior- desk, who until Saturday were over- India in seven out of its eight border waiting for restrictions to be lifted. families,” said Bhandari. “But the whole itise the strict enforcement of 14-day whelmed by people returning from points. Only Kunauli bazaar border “I had also thought of returning home world is going through a crisis and we quarantine of Nepalis who are enter- India, were seen relaxed as both crossing is open for people to as cities are under lockdown and hotels don’t know when we can return home. ing the country from India through nations have stopped the movement enter Nepal. have turned empty,” said Prakash It’s all uncertain.”

C M Y K 05 | TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 MONEY

FOREX

US Dollar 122.34

Euro 130.57

Pound Sterling 140.80

Japanese Yen 11.04

Chinese Yuan 17.18

Qatari Riyal 33.33

Australian Dollar 70.11

Malaysian Ringit 27.52

Saudi Arab Riyal 32.58

Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank

BULLION PRICE PER TOLA

Fine Gold Rs 77,000 Silver Rs 720

SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA

GASOLINE WATCH

POST PHOTO: DEEPAK KC A boy rides a bicycle at Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur on Monday as the world heritage site wears a deserted look due to the impact of Covid-19. Officials said only four tickets were sold to the foreigners on Monday. Italy bans Global markets travel in bid Butcher’s shops in the Valley take a break sink as to slow virus as supply and sales fall pandemic spread Goat and buffalo imports from India have dropped, and there are few domestic suppliers, traders said. deaths soar AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ROME, MARCH 23 KRISHANA PRASAIN LONDON, MARCH 23 KATHMANDU, MARCH 23 Italy banned travel and shut down a Stock markets suffered a further ham- range of industries Monday in a last- Prem Bahadur Shrestha pulled down mering Monday despite massive eco- ditch push to stem the spread of a the shutters of his butcher’s shop on nomic stimulus efforts worldwide, coronavirus that has killed nearly Monday after his goat supply came to with investors spooked by a mounting 5,500 people in a month. a stop. death toll from the coronavirus pan- The latest wave of restrictions is Shrestha said his Prem Fresh Meat demic. designed to get the Mediterranean at Sinamangal had to close also The negative mood was fuelled by country through a vital 10-day stretch because sales had plunged with hordes the failure of US lawmakers to agree in which the rate of deaths and infec- of people leaving the valley for their on a trillion-dollar emergency pack- tions is supposed to finally drop. hometowns due to the coronavirus age to help the reeling American econ- Italy’s health officials sounded scare. omy, analysts said. notes of guarded hope after reporting Goat and buffalo imports from India European equities tanked four per- another 651 fatalities on Sunday. have declined, and there are few cent at the open before trimming some The figure was the second-highest domestic suppliers, said Shrestha. He losses—but still remained deep in the recorded during the crisis and above has no idea when he will be reopening red in late morning deals and follow- that officially registered anywhere his shop. ing heavy losses across Asia. else in the world in a day. Dheeraj Kunwar, who runs a butch- The dollar scaled to a three-year But it was still lower than the record er’s shop in Kirtipur, also called it a pinnacle against the euro as investors 793 deaths health officials announced day following a sharp drop in the num- shunning risky equities flocked to the on Saturday. ber of customers. Sales were down haven greenback. The number of new infections also due to confusion whether it was all On oil markets, Brent North Sea rose Sunday by a relatively modest right to consume meat in the midst of crude sank 4.6 percent and West Texas 10.4 percent. the Covid-19 outbreak. Intermediate was down 0.8 percent. The chief health officer of northern Kunwar said his wholesaler left the Oil has plunged in recent weeks to Italy’s devastated Lombardy region valley, and he has not been able to get multi-year lows, mainly on slumping sounded uncharacteristically upbeat a regular supply of fresh meat, so he demand caused by the virus—but also Sunday. decided to shut down for 15 days. because of a price war between top “These figures are always a matter Like Shrestha and Kunwar, many producers Saudi Arabia and Russia. of either seeing the glass as half full butcher’s shops have been shutting “Markets are again showing stress or half empty,” Giulio Gallera wrote down their businesses. With people on fears that the economic damage on Facebook. more concerned about having ade- will be worse than anticipated and “Today, the glass is half full.” quate stocks of essential food items that the response by governments and Italy has sacrificed its economy and and cooking gas, buying meat is low in POST FILE PHOTO central banks will not be enough to liberties by shutting down and ban- their priority list. Few people are buying poultry due to talk that it is not healthy during times of an epidemic. prevent a mammoth recession,” said ning almost everything to halt the Livestock traders said meat analyst Neil Wilson at trading site spread of a virus the government sales were down 35 percent across the consumable goods and cooking gas.” Rs20-30 per kg. But Shrestha said that about keeping new chicks, and this Markets.com. views as an existential threat. country, with the price of chicken Housewife Amrita Baniya from he was selling mutton for Rs1,200-1,300 could result in a drop in production in “James Bullard, President of the St Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte meat seeing a steep decline of Rs70-80 Kalanki said she didn’t feel like buy- per kg. Junga Bahadur BC, president the future, he said. Louis Fed, said US unemployment took the extra step late Saturday of per kg. ing meat after seeing the butchers in of the Poultry Market Management Sabin Shrestha, owner of Upakar could reach 30 percent in the second announcing plans to close “non-essen- Anil Khadgi, former vice-chairman her neighbourhood handling the prod- Association, said that chicken sales Chicken Cold Store at Chyasal, said he quarter due to coronavirus shut- tial” factories and trades until April 3. of the Nepal Fish and Meat Sellers uct with their bare hands. She said had dropped by half with hotels, res- was selling chicken at Rs230-240 per downs, while he warned GDP could Italians spent much of Sunday try- Association, said meat consumption she had not bought meat for the past taurants and offices closing down in kg, down Rs70-80 per kg from a few decline by 50 percent. This would be ing to figure out what exactly Conte started falling about a week ago. 15 days because of the poor hygiene greater numbers. weeks ago. an unprecedented event.” The global meant. People fear to consume meat as they displayed by the local meat shops. BC said that the price of chicken Very few people are buying poultry death toll from the virus has surged The government released a long list have heard that this can be unhealthy Khadgi said that with the border had decreased by Rs100 per kg. As due to talk that it is not healthy during past 14,400, with nearly a billion peo- of industries and professions that in a situation like now, he said. “Meat closed, imports of live goat and buffa- sales and prices have plunged due to times of an epidemic. The consump- ple confined and non-essential busi- would still be allowed. sales have dropped by a third over the lo had also declined, leading to an life coming to a near standstill, poul- tion of eggs has declined in the same nesses shut in dozens of countries and These included translation services week with people busy buying daily increase in the price of mutton by try farmers are becoming concerned manner, said livestock traders. growing fears about a recession. and chemical processing plants. Auto part makers were allowed to stay open, but steel mills were not. Lawyers were told to work from home, but reporters were allowed to meet in newsrooms. The decrees published Monday Free pizzas, free housing: Hungarians respond to crisis with acts of kindness added to the air of confusion in the face of a disease Conte on Saturday REUTERS daily pizza output free. hardships that the health workers are called Italy’s biggest threat since BUDAPEST, MARCH 23 As the Central European country going through now,” said Viktoria World War II. closed its borders to foreign citizens Hojer-Szabo, who owns three Airbnb They include a separate instruction Milan Varga saved for three years to and shut down schools to contain the flats in Budapest. forbidding Italians “from moving by be able to open his small pizzeria in spread of the coronavirus, more and A nurse from Budapest’s central public or private means of transport Budapest last Monday. On Tuesday his more Hungarians have decided to help hospital treating coronavirus patients outside the municipality in which customers all but disappeared as the elderly and vulnerable, as well as lives in one of her flats now. So far 43 they are currently located”. streets emptied due to the coronavirus healthcare workers who will bear the healthcare workers have moved into This theoretically means that epidemic. brunt of the crisis. vacant Airbnb flats. Italians cannot travel to their second With lots of ingredients stocked up, Members of the Facebook group On Lake Balaton, Hungary’s main homes at the weekend or visit out-of- Varga quickly changed his plans and “Budapest Airbnb community for the summer holiday destination, Gergely town relatives. There is an exception joined a growing number of health workers”, which now has more Toth, manager of the Sunshine for people who can prove they must Hungarians who have responded to than 1,200 members, are offering their hotel in the town of Siofok, travel “for work needs of absolute the crisis with acts of kindness. He is flats to nurses and other healthcare offered hotel rooms to Hungarians urgency or for health reasons”. now delivering free pizzas to the elder- workers who want to self-isolate to who have returned from work abroad The long list of “essential” indus- ly who have to self-isolate in their protect their families. Budapest had and have had to go into two-week tries is accompanied by reports of homes. more than 10,000 Airbnb flats quarantine. companies urgently lobbying the gov- “If I cannot sell pizzas at least I can before the crisis hit, and the business Many people employed on Lake ernment to be allowed to open their help those in need by giving them free collapsed overnight as tourists Balaton in the summer work abroad doors for the coming week. pizzas if they voluntarily put them- disappeared. during the winter season. There are 39 The reality is that Conte’s team is selves into quarantine, and thus I am “We think that those who can people in the hotel now, which is giv- slowly running out of things to close trying to look after them and make should help those who are doing the ing them free meals. or ban—other than imposing a sure they stay at home,” the 20-year- REUTERS actual work with action, with money, “I ... assumed they would not have Chinese-style quarantine of cities and old said. A man serves pizzas in an Italian restaurant, which delivers pizza for free for health care with kind words—we have no idea the means to self-isolate themselves entire regions. Varga is now delivering half of his workers during the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in Budapest, Hungary. from the four walls at home about the from their family here,” Toth said.

C M Y K TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 | 06 OPINION EDITORIAL Get the small things right No time to lose During such trying times, citizens need to trust the The government must immediately government. Portraying involve the private sector. professionalism would help.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World SUJEEV SHAKYA Health Organisation, said, ‘You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infect- THE OTHER ed.’ This seems to be 100 percent true in Nepal’s case. While Covid- VIEW 19 has spread across 192 countries and territories, in Nepal, which borders China and India, the government has been maintaining that there has only been one case so far. The first coronavirus case was seen in Nepal in January. And on March 23rd, after two On Friday, March 20, I saw a tweet months, we now have a second case. from the press advisor to the prime On Sunday, when three Nepalis who work for Huawei minister, announcing that Prime Technologies Nepal visited the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Minister KP Oli would be speaking to the nation at 6 pm on the same day. Disease Hospital in Teku to get themselves tested for Covid-19, the During such trying and confusing doctors there took their temperatures and then sent them home, times, I try to look for what the gov- saying they did not require tests. Taking the temperature is one of ernment is saying rather than depend the ways of detecting the disease. But the authorities cannot get on the barrage of messages that flood ahead of themselves and declare there are no cases of the corona- different social media and connectivi- virus when testing has not been done in the first place. ty platforms. I put on Nepal Television channel and waited for Oli to appear; Many people with mild or no symptoms remain undiagnosed, it was only at 6:09 pm that the live but could infect others. telecast started (I am not sure wheth- In simple words, laboratory tests must be done to identify the er a few minutes were truncated as it virus, which clearly, the Nepal government has not been doing began abruptly). In times of crisis, like it should have been doing. Perhaps the government is scared nine minutes is a long time. I immedi- that if they truly begin testing people with symptoms and anyone ately tweeted—tagging all of Oli’s advisors—that, like washing hands, who has come in contact with them, healthcare institutions will we need to get the small things right. run out of capacity to conduct tests, once community transmis- It does not matter who is in govern- SHUTTERSTOCK sion begins. And again, maybe the tests are not being conducted ment, but the country has to be able to important that we now have an offi- organisations who are willing to take support and then convert it into an in as many people because the authorities do not have adequate rely on the government. cial handle across all platforms; those up this task. opportunity for themselves. Many testing kits. These are difficult times, and the last thing the gov- Only in a time of crisis, like now, is close to the prime minister and the people accuse me of generalising ernment should be doing is jeopardising the lives of the citizens when the head of government federal government should share the Trust and resilience trends in the Nepali private sector. becomes the most important person official version of all announcements We do not live in a world where neigh- But since no one comes out to speak to mask its own incompetencies. in the country. A speech from the through that avenue, so that all can bours will fight for tissue paper and openly against these wrongdoers, we The National Public Health Laboratory, which operates under prime minister of Singapore brought take a cue and share said information. hand sanitizer. We have a strong need to assume that the majority of the Department of Health Services, has been providing numbers about calm in the island nation. In The state also needs to take action social ecosystem. During the earth- businesspersons and industrialists every day showing how many tests have been conducted. By Rwanda, the president has taken it against those who are spreading false quake, despite the news of epidemics can be put into this basket. While we Saturday, it had conducted 572 tests, of which only the one origi- upon himself to show the citizens news—many of the rumour manufac- breaking out, or after the Royal have a great history of philanthropy, nal case in January had tested positive. But as per Rajesh Kumar how to wash hands. There is belief in turers are high-profile people. Massacre, when the insurgents both through religion and culture, we what the leaders say in that country We also need to release information spread rumours of milk being poi- have not heard of the most affluent Gupta, spokesperson for the National Public Health Laboratory, because the leaders’ reputations are in multiple languages, both local and soned to panic valley residents, we among us coming out and announc- the 572 tests do not suggest that 572 separate individuals were solid. But here, in Nepal, when an global. With unofficial translations reached out to, and helped, each other. ing any actions or contributions. tested. Nasal and throat swabs from the 175 Nepalis evacuated important broadcast to the nation doing the round, confusion reigned In times of crisis, our bathrooms, Businesses that will be impacted from Hubei Province, the place of the Covid-19 outbreak, were begins late, it is very difficult to supreme. An example of this could be kitchens and rooms do not remain will need support in the form of tax tested twice—first when they arrived and again before they were believe that the government will act seen after the government announced our own. In the worst-hit places of the and interest relief, but the people who released from quarantine. Also, tests were conducted twice on in time when there is a crisis. All cri- the closure of all incoming interna- earthquake, people helped each other can contribute something without ses present great opportunities to tional flights into Nepal beginning to provide food to volunteers who hurting their financial position must 20-odd crew members of the Nepal Airlines plane who were leaders. We Nepalis are already big March 20, midnight. Many, came to help. Many of the selfie-mani- go ahead and help the government in involved in the evacuation of Nepali students. fans of Oli’s personal resilience— including foreigners who work in acs (the ones that took selfies instead these times. Similarly, this is not a The government’s hesitation in adopting mass testing for the fighting his health condition and Nepal, were confused whether the of providing relief) were shocked, as time to think of how the private foun- coronavirus has been self-defeating, to say the least. Granted, the emerging victorious. Yet, we need to cut-off meant passengers couldn’t people who went to provide food were dations—usually set up to complete government alone might not be able to handle it. But there is no see this extend to the conduct of come in from 12 am on March 20 given food in return. We went through token corporate social responsibility dearth of private laboratories in the country. The government national affairs. (Friday night) or from 11:59 pm difficult times during the Indian tasks—will make money out of this (Saturday night). blockade of 2015, and let us not forget crisis (some of those who similarly must immediately involve the private sector substantially to deal An official, designated handle Foreign missions in Nepal are also we had a dismal power supply situa- profited during the earthquake will with the spread of the infectious virus. This is the biggest emer- Recently, a two-page announcement grappling with the challenge of being tion then. At least now, we can keep likely be scheming already). gency in our living memory, and the government cannot be com- attributed to the government was accountable for so many citizens who our induction stoves going without The private sector needs to help the placent any more. Testing, self-isolating and then stopping the floating on social media, initially are stuck. Consequently, Nepali mis- batting an eyelid, we can work from government to ensure that supply chain of transmission. These are the three basic steps to be fol- shared by some officials. However, the sions abroad are bombarded with home as we know there will be elec- chains are not disrupted. And, in a lowed. The government must spring to action by taking the pri- points made in the announcement did questions. For Nepal, it is good to tricity to power our modems and case of extremes, private hospitals not hold true for even an hour. The recognise the other languages of internet connections. We need to also and healthcare providers should be vate sector in tandem if it is serious about saving the lives of the SEE examinations, which were not Nepal beyond the token two pages reflect on how fortunate we are while willing to work under unified com- citizens. supposed to be postponed as per the that appear in Gorkhapatra once in a we also prepare for any eventualities. mand and direction. Every one of us document, were postponed. Because while. Guidance needs to be dissemi- has a role to take on during a crisis— the government does not have an offi- nated in audio, video and print for- The private sector has an an emergency that we have not creat- cial handle for different social media mat across all platforms in different opportunity ed but that has engulfed the world all platforms for all communications, it languages. If the government does The private sector in Nepal has the the same. Like we used our resilience, seems the prime minister’s key aides not have the resources (the first notorious reputation of using times common sense and community began competing to show who is more excuse we will hear), it would be of crisis to hoard, artificially inflate approach to get over crises of the We want to hear from you close to the source of the news. It is prudent to designate voluntary prices, ask for excessive government past, we shall overcome this one, too. 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Oftentimes, in where all sides of a story are present- writers, students, political commentators, entrepreneurs and dip- source counts for women empower- many media houses have made it a the absence of women reporters, gen- ed. Needless to say, gender balance is lomats. We are not able to respond to every single email, but if we ment, the chief executive at Freedom point to include at least one opinion der-related issues tend to be over- integral to inclusion. Once the voice like your idea, we will get back to you soon. Please DO NOT pitch Forum, Taranath Dahal, asserts, ‘Of article by a female writer. looked. While it is important to main- of the voiceless becomes heard and us an idea if you’re already pitching it somewhere else. course, the change realised at media Of course, one is free to argue that tain objectivity while reporting, most environments previously dominated houses is noteworthy. From maintain- mere advocacy by an organisation men can only sympathise with wom- by men start having as many women We carefully review submissions to ensure that no plagiarism ing discipline among colleagues to does not suffice for change in the cul- en’s issues. But if there is a female employees, only then can we say the has occurred. If we find any articles that have been plagiarised, respecting women’s sensitivity, the ture surrounding journalism. Changes reporter, she can sympathise as well society is changing for the better. such practice will lead to blacklisting. Freedom Forum’s continued advocacy can never be brought by standalone as empathise regarding certain The media often reports stories for a better work atmosphere for efforts. Endeavours must be sustained, issues. This added sensity brings about inequality. But it must acknowl- Finally, please tell us who you are in a sentence or two when you women journalists augmented women and collectively enshrined. about fresh perspectives and sheds edge that the sector has been patriar- send us your story ideas. We want to know where you have journalists’ visibility, creating their Having more women in the news- new light on storytelling. chal, too. Representing women equally published before or what your expertise is on the topic you’re space for in-house policy interference’. room will help highlight social issues For example, when women report in journalism is a desirable goal that all interested in exploring. The Freedom Forum, after rigor- more. Increased reporting of social about issues pertaining to say, repro- newsrooms must strive towards. ously monitoring the news content of issues not only shakes up media con- duction or abortion, their approach to major dailies, a few online portals tent but also creates pressure on polit- storytelling will be much different Ghimire is a media researcher.

C M Y K 07 | TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 OPINION Truth and viral consequences Potentially catastrophic public-health threats require transparency, both within and between countries.

CHRIS PATTEN

Of all the challenges that humans have faced over millennia, disease has always been a particularly brutal and resourceful enemy. The impact of the disease has shaped history. Amerindians were ravaged by illnesses that the Spanish conquistadors brought to Mexico and South America; the ‘stout Cortez’ of John Keats’s poem was accompanied by killer diseases like smallpox, mea- sles, influenza, and typhus. Unlike Eurasians, native populations in the New World had not spent several thousand years evolving with animals and their diseases. As a result, America’s indigenous populations declined by some 90 percent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In Europe, on the other hand, fighting disease was a formative element in the growth of political authority and state governance in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance period. Lethal plagues like the Black Death led authorities in the Northern Italian city-states and elsewhere to fight back with enforced public hygiene and quar- antines. Henry VIII’s England and other SHUTTERSTOCK European states established isolation hospi- opened the window, and in-flew-Enza’. vance of the wider health and behaviour of Jintao, was due to be installed in spring they kept quiet. tals. Later, the United States developed pub- So, with the new Covid-19 coronavirus whole populations. 2003. The Communist Party of China’s Life in Wuhan thus continued as normal lic-health services in part to fight yellow now assaulting the world, what can we learn Crucially, Snow applied the old Chinese clampdown on reporting about the out- while the epidemic spread. Millions left the fever and other epidemics. from past experience? adage about learning the truth from the break, and its delay in informing the WHO, city and the surrounding province for the Military campaigns also were accompa- Above all, we know that global problems facts. Likewise, fighting the Covid-19 pan- may well have reflected its determination to Chinese New Year celebrations—festivities nied by disease. Napoleon’s leading general, require global solutions. That means coordi- demic requires not only changing patterns avoid taking the shine off Hu’s elevation. that ended with many funerals, including Marshal Ney, wrote that ‘General Famine nating health research and making resourc- of social behaviour through measures such On that occasion, the brave Chinese whis- that of Li. Research by Southampton and General Winter’ cut down the French es available for poorer countries to develop as self-isolation and temporary travel tleblower Jiang Yanyong helped to end the University, not yet peer-reviewed, suggests army that marched on—and subsequently their health systems—an approach that has restrictions but also telling the public the cover-up. Concerted international action that earlier action by the Chinese authori- retreated from—Moscow in 1812. But already proven effective in tackling malaria. truth. People need to know in good time subsequently prevented the SARS epidemic ties would have dramatically reduced the ‘General Typhus and General TB’ played Furthermore, the World Health Organisation what is happening and what they should do. from turning into a pandemic. Had this not rate of infections. their parts as well. should play the central role in protecting us That is why we should be deeply grateful happened, there would have been many The disease is a killer. So, too, is the secre- The disease can be cunning and implaca- from epidemic disease, in particular by focus- for the heroic dedication and commitment more cases and fatalities around the world. cy of a totalitarian regime such as the one ble. Despite humanity’s efforts, influenza ing, together with national governments, on of so many Chinese doctors and health work- But when the new coronavirus emerged headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, pandemics have swept the world on average disease surveillance and issuing warnings. ers in fighting this new killer virus. Their late last year, China’s communist leaders, which censored and closed down social three times a century for the last 500 years. Indeed, careful scientific research is brave struggle has been fought for us all. unfortunately, seemed to have learned noth- media when they reported what was actual- The deadliest of these was the erroneously essential to ‘germ governance’—as it was, China’s communist leaders, on the other ing from that previous episode. Another ly happening in Wuhan. named ‘Spanish Flu’ of 1918, the first case of for example, in combating cholera in hand, should now face some serious ques- brave doctor, Li Wenliang, and some of his Proper surveillance of potentially cata- which was actually recorded in Kansas. mid-nineteenth-century London. Back then, tions. colleagues tried to warn about the new virus strophic public-health threats requires That pandemic may have killed over 50 mil- a doctor called John Snow wandered around When a variety of pneumonia called in Wuhan last December. (Some reports, for knowledge and transparency, both within lion people worldwide, more than the num- the city cataloguing cases of the disease. By SARS—severe acute respiratory syn- example in the South China Morning Post, and between countries. As the deadly Covid- ber who died in World War I. using geography and statistics, Snow helped drome—broke out in Southern China in suggest that there was growing disquiet 19 pandemic once again shows, telling the In fact, children at the time chanted a to spark a shift from simply focusing on the November 2002, the central authorities in about its detection even earlier.) But Li and truth saves lives. chilling song as they skipped rope: health of the individual body and the treat- Beijing covered it up for months. Not coinci- his co-workers were silenced by the police ‘I had a little bird, its name was Enza. I ment of symptoms to recognising the rele- dentally, perhaps, a new Chinese leader, Hu and threatened with punishment unless —Project Syndicate Superstitions and pandemics

Dozens of conspiracy theories keep surfacing about the virus.

MUHAMMAD AMIR RANA

Pandemics test not only the immunity and mental strength of human beings but also their power of imagination. Conspiracy theories and prophecies spread just as fast as pandemics and work in multiple ways, from heightening the fear of death to inspiring spiritual healing of human souls. The quality of imagination or dreaming, however, depends on the self-belief of individuals and the consciousness of societies. Several videos and messages full of prophecies of pirs and clerics are circulating on social media in which they prescribe a wide range of protective measures against Covid-19. In one such video, a person recommends the soup of the inner layers of a pigeon’s stomach for those infected, while in another eating the dust in a shrine is prescribed. But there is a difference between the motivations of the superstitious and the faithful even though their actions may be interpreted as similar by many. Some leading religious scholars are recommending offering prayers to seek divine help against the pandemic. Indeed, religion plays an important role in the lives of people in our country who use it to extract spiritual support to overcome fears. Some other religious scholars are advising people to take proper precautionary measures while also praying to God, which strengthens their faith and develops spiritual immunity. However, there are others who see such pandemics as a divine punishment to curse others (they also believe that they have divine protection against all epidemics). There are dozens of videos making the rounds on social media cursing ‘infidels’, including China and the West, and advising the ‘faithful’ to not adopt any precautions as advised by experts. Interestingly, a former chief minister of Sindh also appeared in a video cursing China and the West. Social scientists have recorded evidence that natural disasters develop empathy among humans. But pandem- SHUTTERSTOCK ics affect the normal bonds of human affection and tine on a website in which she explains how her family to some fictional works as proof of a well-designed and tary worker named Bhago collects dead bodies and lines social distancing becomes a virtue. Pandemics force experienced new dimensions of life, empathy, compas- structural plot behind the pandemic. A novel The Eyes of the streets with chalk to curb the spread of infection. He people to make difficult decisions to save themselves and sion for neighbours, environment and animals. Darkness by an American author Dean Koontz is very ends up saving one patient—who falls unconscious out others, but a sense of shame or guilt grows as the human However, individuals have varying tendencies of popular among such believers, who claim he had predict- of fear and is considered dead in the pile of bodies being consciousness tries to address the situation in multiple superstitious beliefs and sentiments that also nurture ed the outbreak of coronavirus in 1981 with his refer- burnt. Though Bhago badly burns his own arm in trying ways. Religion addresses one aspect of this situation and conspiracy theories. Every day, dozens of conspiracy ence to a killer virus called Wuhan-400. The wilderness to save the man, the patient still dies a painful death. A inspires people to develop a different approach to inter- theories surface about the virus. Keeping aside President of our imagination may provide some relief to us but few days later, Bhago’s own wife also dies of the plague action and affection. Donald Trump’s insistence on labelling the coronavirus sometimes it also diverts our attention from reality. because the doctor refuses to treat her in time. The story The stories coming from Wuhan—the Chinese city as the ‘Chinese virus’ and Chinese suspicions that it was A similar situation has forced a famous screenwriter depicts the inner struggle of both characters. The doctor where the coronavirus outbreak originated but now has US soldiers who brought the virus into Wuhan, many and novelist Lawrence Wright to come up with a dis- serves half-heartedly and is fearful of catching the successfully been overcome—reveal how the citizens conspiracy theories also hint at the involvement of claimer before the publication of his new novel The End plague. But Bhago, despite his wife’s death, is completely responded to the fear of pandemics. Their collective aliens who wanted to create rifts among humans and of October, saying it is a work of fiction. The novel, which devoted to his work. When the pandemic ends, the response greatly contributed towards defending them- destroy the Earth. Scientists, of course, insist that dis- has been constructed around a pandemic, may have quite a municipality and citizens reward the doctor for his ser- selves and each other against the deadly virus. The sto- eases have no agency and bacteria and viruses spread few similarities with the current global epidemic. vice. When he reaches home, he meets Bhago who has ries and videos of the victims and those quarantined blindly. The Telegraph recently quoted a published study His article reminds me of a Facebook post mentioning come to congratulate him. The doctor feels deep shame circulating on social media were more about hope where explaining that the coronavirus has evolved naturally a short story by one of the greatest fiction writers of the at his earlier behaviour. The pandemic is indeed a test of people’s minds appeared set on thinking about life and and is not a laboratory construct. subcontinent, Rajinder Singh Bedi. The story is about a the self and our collective character. the future. A few websites dealing with psychology and But how many believe in scientific theories, especially doctor and a sanitary worker. The doctor treats those spirituality are collecting such stories. A woman from in such critical times when minds are disturbed and quarantined and describes how the fear of quarantine This article was previously published in Dawn, a part of Wuhan has shared the story of her 50-day-long quaran- need healing, is anyone’s guess. Many are also referring was killing just as many as the disease itself. The sani- the Asia News Network.

C M Y K TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 | 08 WORLD Kenyan fishermen Virus rebels from get unexpected France to Florida boost as customers flout lockdown buy local fillets practices REUTERS ASSOCIATED PRESS KISUMU, MARCH 23 PARIS, MARCH 23

The coronavirus pandemic has hand- Young German adults hold “corona ed Kenyan fishermen an unexpected parties” and cough toward older boon - a rush of customers who now people. shun imported Chinese frozen fillets A Spanish man leashes a goat to go in favour of freshly caught fish from for a walk to skirt confinement orders. Lake Victoria. From France to Florida to Australia, Kenya bought $23.2 million worth of kitesurfers, college students and oth- frozen fish from China in 2018, accord- ers crowd the beaches. ing to the International Trade Center, Their defiance of lockdown man- almost all of its fish imports. dates and scientific advice to fight the Fishermen have long complained that coronavirus pandemic has prompted the cheap imports were strangling crackdowns by authorities on people local trade. trying to escape cabin fever brought The coronavirus has slowed Chinese on by virus restrictions. imports. Nervous customers have “Some consider they’re little turned to local fish. But Kenya will heroes when they break the rules,” soon face shortages unless imports French Interior Minister Christophe from China resume; it produces just Castaner said. over a third of what it consumes. “Well, no. You’re an imbecile, and Kenyan fishermen like 38-year-old especially a threat to yourself.” Maurice Misodhi, whose skin has been weathered by the sun and wind during two decades on the water, have had a bumper month. Based at Dunga AP/RSS France on Friday Beach in Kisumu, customers want Stars move in an arc around the Polar Star over the Orthodox Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Lukinskoye village, Russia, on Monday. sent security forces every fish he catches. into train stations to Fishermen say they prevent people from smile as they can travelling. now sell their fish in Global hunt for medical equipment After days of noncompliance by the local market at a people refusing to stay home and ven- fair price. ture out only for essential tasks, to fight virus becomes all-consuming France on Friday sent security forces into train stations to prevent people Fears grow that densely crowded New York could become one of the world’s biggest coronavirus hot spots. from traveling to their vacation Misodhi says the Chinese lockdown homes, potentially carrying the virus seemed to have dried up imports of to the countryside or beaches where cheaper Chinese fish. ASSOCIATED PRESS Trump ordered mobile hospital serious cases of the virus, has become doctors to countries across Europe, medical facilities are less robust. “As fishermen we can now smile, PARIS, MARCH 23 centers be sent to Washington, critical. A political battle over ventila- including hard-hit Italy, France and The popular Paris walkway along not because people are suffering from California and New York. In France, tors has emerged, especially after Spain as well as countries with weak- the Seine River was closed and a coronavirus, but because we can now The hunt for ventilators and other doctors scrounged masks from the Trump told state governors to go find er medical systems like Bulgaria, nightly curfew was imposed in the sell our fish, and at a good price,” he medical supplies consumed the US unlikeliest of places—an architect, their own medical equipment and Greece and Serbia. French Mediterranean city of Nice by said. and Europe on Monday, as new corona- construction workers in Breton, facto- some replied that was not the best Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the Mayor Christian Estrosi, who is The price of a kilo of Nile perch - virus infections soared and political ry floors. solution. US National Institute of Allergy and infected with the virus. 250 shillings ($2.50) a month ago - has paralysis stalled efforts for a quick aid Health care workers say they are China has been the one nation to Infectious Diseases, promised over the Florida officials closed some of the shot up to 350 shillings. package from Congress. Asian mar- being asked to reuse and ration dis- counter this trend, sending planeloads weekend that medical supplies are state’s most popular beaches after Fish trader Mary Didi usually buys kets and US futures sank as more gov- posable masks and gloves. A shortage of medical equipment like masks, about to start pouring in and will be images of rowdy spring break college from Chinese suppliers but has now ernments tightened restrictions to of ventilators, crucial for treating gloves and protective gear as well as “clearly directed to those hot spots crowds appeared on TV for days amid turned to Misodhi. fight the pandemic. that need it most.” the rising global death toll, which sur- “The supply at the Chinese import- Fears grew that densely crowded Worldwide, over 341,000 people have passed 13,000 on Sunday. ers has gone down, and many of my New York could become one of the been infected and over 14,700 have Australia closed Sydney’s famous customers were also scared of the world’s biggest coronavirus hot spots, died from the virus that first emerged Bondi Beach after police were out- Chinese fish, thinking they would con- prompting cancelations of everything in central China late last year. raged at pictures of the crowds. tract the virus,” she said. “To keep the from play dates to picnics in the park Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky The virus rebels tend to range from business running, I had to turn to fish to pickup basketball games. The city’s became the first US senator to restless teens to wealthy adults who from the lake.” mayor said hospitals were 10 days announce he was infected. Opera can travel to their getaway homes. Bob Otieno, chairman of Dunga away from shortages in “really basic superstar Plácido Domingo confirmed Even in Italy, where the virus death Beach Management Unit, says sales supplies” that seriously endangered he has COVID-19, and German toll soared beyond China’s last week, have shot up. both health care workers and patients. Chancellor Angela Merkel put herself authorities are still trying to rein in The beach registers a catch of A surge in infections has caused a into quarantine after a doctor who people from going outside for fresh air, between 1 and 1.5 tonnes of fish each critical shortage of medical supplies gave her a pneumonia vaccine sun and visits with friends to escape day and sales have gone up from 50% in many places. Italy has already seen tested positive. Italy’s infections con- walled-in lives. of the catch to 90% in the last two 18 doctors with coronavirus die and tinued to spike hitting 59,000 cases and In the southern German state of weeks. Previously, fishermen would Spain says 12% of its nearly 29,000 5,476 deaths. Bavaria, Governor Markus Soeder eat, barter or give away around half cases are medical workers. While other countries struggled to lamented that “there are still corona their catch. To combat this, Spain erected a field contain the virus, the central Chinese parties, there are young people who Kenya produces 180,000 tonnes per hospital in a convention center. city of Wuhan, where the virus out- cough at older people and shout year but consumes about 500,000 British health workers pleaded for AP/RSS break emerged, said on Monday it is corona for fun and, above all, there tonnes, according to 2019 government more gear, saying they felt like “can- Staffers inspect medical equipment at an emergency hospital set up amid the coronavirus now allowing residents limited move- are an incredible number of groups figures. non fodder.” US President Donald outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia. ment, both within the city and out. being formed.” Prison riot kills 23 in Pandemic an unprecedented test for youngsters

ASSOCIATED PRESS Colombia as Chile CHICAGO, MARCH 23 For Jalen Grimes, the virus pandemic is stirring up a slew of emotions. “Annoyed” is the first one the 13-year- enforces virus curfew old Chicagoan mentions. “Scared, confused, worried.” AGENCE-FRANCE PRESSE ber of countries to impose a total She was supposed to be enjoying the MONTEVIDEO, MARCH 23 lockdown of their populations. end of her eighth-grade year, a rite of Colombia will join the group from passage in states like Illinois, with a Panic over the spread of the coronavi- midnight on Tuesday with a 19-day graduation and a school trip that are rus sparked a prison riot in Colombia mandatory lockdown of its 48 million not likely to happen. That’s hard that killed 23 inmates on Sunday, as population. enough. But her father is also about to Chile became the latest Latin Bolivia’s government criticised sec- be deployed as a paramedic, a more American country to announce tions of the population for ignoring its dangerous than usual job in these restrictions on movement. lockdown on Sunday. “We are not times. Her mom, a therapist, also Rioting swept through the crowded going to do this with a 98 percent lock- has been on call a lot and is prone to jail overnight in the Colombian capi- down. We are only going to defeat the pneumonia. And then there are her tal Bogota amid rising tensions over coronavirus with 100 percent commit- grandparents. the virus in the penitentiary system. ment,” Defense Minister Luis “It’s a lot of fear with family mem- Justice Minister Margarita Cabello Fernando Lopez said. bers and stuff,” Jalen said. “I think a described the violence as an attempt- Police patrol the historic centre lot of us don’t think it will affect us, ed mass breakout, part of what she of San Salvador during a total but it’s a worry.” said was a coordinated plan with lockdown of the population as a meas- As this crisis unfolds, her genera- inmates who caused disturbances in ure to prevent the spread of the new tion likely be tested like never before, 13 jails across the country. coronavirus especially those whose families are The minister rejected accusations Venezuelan President Nicolas already on the edge, financially and by rights groups that the riots were Maduro on Sunday announced that health-wise. sparked by unsanitary conditions the country would pay the salaries of “It’s going to make them feel differ- inside a prison system that was woe- employees at small and medium com- ently about their mortality, possibly, fully unprepared to face the pandemic. panies affected by the quarantine. what the world offers, what security A curfew in Chile “will take effect The socialist leader said the meas- looks like,” said Cathy Cohen, a politi- throughout the national territory ure would begin “in the month of cal science professor at the University AP/RSS from 10:00 pm to 05:00 am the next March” but did specify were the funds of Chicago, who regularly tracks the Jalen Grimes, 13, smiles as her seven-year-old sister, Sydney, prepares for a cartwheel outside their home in Chicago on Sunday. Both girls are day,” Health Minister Jaime Manalich for his plan would come from. views of young people. now doing schoolwork at home because of the virus pandemic. announced Sunday. The country, Unlike other regional leaders, In pre-pandemic surveys, she has which has 632 infections, registered Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has found that these young adults already “one major historical precedent” for ing parents to take care of themselves Chicago eighth graders. its first death from the pandemic at played down the crisis, though the sense that they won’t have as much as what we might be facing—the Great amid these new stresses. Meanwhile, she’s working on more the weekend. pandemic has left 25 dead in his coun- their parents have. Depression. “We need to make sure the parents schoolwork than she might have antic- Quito on Sunday ordered the mili- try, with 1,546 confirmed cases. Some like to portray them as cod- Studies have shown that “kids in are OK, so the families are OK,” said ipated in a circumstance like this, tary to take control of the worst-hit Mexico City’s authorities Sunday dled and entitled. But this is a genera- these circumstances are thrust into McShane, who’s among therapists while helping her parents look after province of Guayas in the south-west ordered the closure of bars and clubs tion that also has grown up with its growing up faster than is typical,” who are providing sessions with cli- her 7-year-old sister, Sydney. of the country. after being criticized for not taking share of stress—school shootings, said Pallas, a professor of sociology ents via video chat, when telemedi- “She’s very energetic,” Jalen said. Government Minister Maria Paula more forceful measures earlier. social media pressure, a Great and education. cine is covered by insurance “Extreeeemely energetic.” Romo said the armed forces had been Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said Recession, climate change. Young It’s still early, of course. But even (which isn’t always the case). She is Her mom, Laura Grimes, is now authorised “to manage the province museums, cinemas, theaters, gyms, adults, older than Jalen, remember younger children can sense that some- anticipating more crises brought on able to work from home but is both of Guayas as a national security bars and nightclubs would close the terror attacks of 9/11 and know thing unusual is going on. by marital discord, financial stress teaching college students and running zone”. A nationwide curfew has been “starting tomorrow.” how it feels when the world changes in So far, Kathleen McShane, a trauma and other impacts exacerbated by this therapy sessions by video conference, in place since Tuesday. “Every day we can take new meas- an instant. therapist and mother of three on the pandemic. as well. There’s a lot of call for that Governments in the region have ures. These measures have to decrease Now comes this global event that South Side of Chicago, said her 6- and Jalen Grimes, the teen in Chicago, these days. been stepping up efforts to try to slow contacts,” said the mayor, who called German Chancellor Angela Merkel 9-year-old mostly have questions about is hoping for a bit of good news about It’s a blessing that she and her hus- the spread of the pandemic, which has on the population to stay at home and called the biggest challenge since their routine. Why is soccer canceled? high school in a week. She’s awaiting band “didn’t lose our jobs,” she said. claimed 13,500 lives worldwide keep their distance from other people. World War II. Meanwhile, Aaron When can they have a play date? word on whether she got into the “But it’s meant that we have not been Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador and Restaurants are not affected by the Pallas, a researcher at Columbia As she and her husband work from selective-enrollment public high able to be present, and I worry about Paraguay are among a growing num- order, however. University, said he could think of only home, she posted a blog recently, urg- school of her choice—a big deal for the stress of that.”

C M Y K 09 | TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 ASIA China to limit new tailings dams to reduce safety, environmental risks

REUTERS BEIJING, MARCH 23

China will limit the number of new tailings dams for mining projects and cut down on the use of existing ones to reduce safety risks and ease environmental pressures, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a notice on its website. New projects will be encouraged to use existing tailings dams, while rele- vant departments were asked to tight- en their environmental and safety reg- ulations for new mines, it said in its notice late on Friday. The ministry also asked local governments to cap the number of existing tailings dams within their region, possibly closing older ones if a new tailings dam was needed for mines considered “strategic” or critical to filling a supply shortage. The Ministry of Emergency Management also said it would work to gradually reduce the number of current tailings dams. Tailings dams that have been out of service for over three years or that have been aban- doned must be shut down within a year. Local governments should also dis- close the details of the tailings dams in their regions on their websites or local mainstream media at the beginning of each year, and companies should establish proper emergency response procedures. Tailings dams are the most common waste disposal methods for mining AP/RSS firms, whether they are extracting A man rides a bicycle on the banks of the Meguro-gawa River in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday. iron ore, copper or gold. Conflict-hit Syrians rush to stock up; Modi tells Indians to stay home and save themselves Iran reports 127 more virus deaths REUTERS family, follow the instructions serious- NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI, MARCH 23 ly,” he said on Twitter. Countries across the Middle East have ramped up restrictions on daily life in an effort to contain the global pandemic. The lockdown in the capital of more Streets were deserted in the Indian than 18 million people will last for the capital on Monday and office build- rest of the month. ASSOCIATED PRESS of U.S. troops stationed in the region. ings shuttered as a lockdown to halt Authorities banned gatherings of DAMASCUS, MARCH 23 Gaza, where two people tested posi- the spread of the coronavirus began more than five people in several of tive after returning from Pakistan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi India’s states including Maharashtra Syrians rushed to stock up on food has been under an Israeli and urged people to stay at home and save in the west, which has had the highest and fuel Monday amid fears that Egyptian blockade since the Islamic themselves. number of cases. authorities would resort to even strict- militant group Hamas seized power India has reported 415 cases of the The auhtorities warned of legal er measures after reporting the first from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. coronavirus and seven deaths but action against people violating coronavirus infection in the country, The coastal territory is home to health experts have warned that the ban. where the healthcare system has more than 2 million people but it a big jump could be imminent, which Newspapers canceled print runs in been decimated by nearly a decade of only has around 60 respirators, would overwhelm the underfunded the financial hub of Mumbai after civil war. and all but 15 are already in use, and crumbling public health infra- vendors refused to distribute them Meanwhile, Iran reported another according to Abdelnasser Soboh, structure. due to worry about the coronavirus, 127 coronavirus deaths, bringing its director of the World Health Modi said many Indians were not which emerged in Wuhan City in death toll to 1,812 amid 23,049 con- Organization’s Gaza office. taking the lockdown seriously. China’s Hubei late last year and has firmed cases. Iran is battling the worst There are similar concerns about a “Please save yourself, save your spread around the world. outbreak in the Middle East, and has catastrophe if the virus turns up in faced widespread criticism for not Libya or Yemen, which are both mired imposing stricter quarantine meas- in civil war. ures early on. It is also suffering under Afghanistan reported its first death severe American sanctions imposed on Sunday, a man in his 40s. The war- after President Donald Trump with- torn country has reported 34 con- drew the US from Tehran’s 2015 nucle- firmed cases. ar deal with world powers. State TV AP/RSS In Pakistan, which has reported reported the latest figures on Monday. Seagulls soar over a beach in front of the Burj Al Arab hotel. The United Arab Emirates has more than 800 infections and four The arrival of the global pandemic closed its borders to foreigners over the coronavirus outbreak. deaths, authorities have asked people in Syria as well as the Gaza Strip to self-quarantine for two weeks. The has raised concerns it could run ram- life in an effort to contain the global Sunday—a 20-year-old woman it said government has said it hopes it won’t pant in some of the most vulnerable pandemic. had arrived from another country, have to order a mandatory lockdown. areas in the Middle East. War-torn The United Arab Emirates, home to without elaborating. Many people seem to be ignoring Libya and Yemen, which have yet the world’s busiest international air- Syria’s health care system has been the advice, and instead going about to report any cases, are also a source port, announced early on Monday that ravaged by nearly a decade of war that daily life wearing face masks that proof concern. it was suspending all passenger and has displaced millions of people and vide little if any protection. Lines formed outside grocery transit flights for two weeks. spawned rampant poverty. Hospitals Others have resorted to panic stores, banks and petrol stations Syria has close ties to Iran, which is and clinics across the country have buying, fearing a curfew could soon across the Syrian capital, Damascus, a key ally of the government in the been destroyed or damaged. be imposed. as people braced for wider closures. civil war, and Shiite pilgrims fre- An open-ended curfew has already Nearly all the cases in Pakistan The government has already closed quently travel between the two coun- gone into effect in parts of northern have been linked to travel to Iran. restaurants, cafes and other business- tries to visit religious sites. Syria’s and eastern Syria, which are con- Authorities have quarantined more es, and has halted transportation. Health Ministry reported the first trolled by a Kurdish-led civilian than 2,500 people who have returned Countries across the Middle East case of coronavirus in areas administration. It was not immediate- from Iran, mainly pilgrims, and are have ramped up restrictions on daily controlled by the government late ly clear how it would affect hundreds testing them for the virus. Missile tests and meetings: North Korea signals confidence in face of pandemic

REUTERS apparent shift in North Korean media Some foreign observers have noted SEOUL, MARCH 23 handling of the coronavirus in the that North Korea’s authoritarian gov- past two weeks which suggested the ernment is actually well placed to With international focus on the coro- North Korean regime’s increased con- impose the kind of restrictions that navirus, North Korea has doubled fidence in managing the coronavirus have been successful in slowing the down on its missile development and situation.” spread of infections in other coun- military exercises in recent weeks Besides the SPA announcement, tries, and that it has a high number of while signaling new confidence that it leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo doctors per capita. has dodged an outbreak of its own. Jong, released a statement through But aid organisations have warned Some international experts are state media on Sunday commenting that North Korea’s health system is skeptical of North Korea’s assertion on US President Donald Trump’s lat- chronically under-resourced, often that it has not had a single case of the est letter to North Korea, offering fails to meet the daily needs of citi- new coronavirus, which was first coronavirus assistance. zens, and would be hard-pressed to detected in neighboring China. But much of the messaging handle any major outbreak of the But for the first time since late from Kim Jong Un appears “laser coronavirus, which has infected more February, North Korean soldiers con- focused” at the domestic audience, than 337,000 people and killed more ducting military drills and test firing said Duyeon Kim, a senior adviser than 14,650 around the world. short-range ballistic missiles over the to the International Crisis Group “Hearing from my relatives there, weekend were shown not wearing face think-tank. one thing for sure is the situation is masks in state media photographs. “He’s apparently trying to show his very serious,” said a North Korean North Korea has said it has released confidence and strength to his people, defector living in South Korea. almost all the foreigners it quaran- that he is in control, and that the “Otherwise they wouldn’t be so tined as a precaution, and in a deci- regime is functioning normally by loud on the news about this. There sion that surprised some experts, pursuing its strategic objectives is no way for the residents to know announced it would hold a big gather- despite a national crisis over a virus who died.” ing of its Supreme People’s Assembly they have no control over,” she said. The insistence on no coronavirus (SPA) in early April. “He needs to keep his constituents REUTERS cases, the SPA presidium and the mis- “I’m a bit surprised that North in Pyongyang happy and trying to A man walks past a TV broadcasting file footage for a news report on North Korea firing an unidentified projectile, in Seoul, South Korea. sile tests were intended to show it was Korea decided to go ahead with its show North Korea is invincible.” business as usual in North Korea, said spring SPA session,” said Rachel State media has broadcast a on Monday, for example, said a local “Under the present situation that and orders set under the state emer- Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert Minyoung Lee, a Seoul-based analyst stream of reports on how seriously party official had been punished for witnesses intensified campaign gency anti-epidemic system,” the at King’s College London. for NK News, a website that monitors the government is taking its virus-pre- undermining nationwide coronavirus against COVID-19, it comes to be an paper said in an editorial, referring “Kim Jong Un is trying really hard North Korea. vention efforts. One report in the rul- prevention measures by organizing important political matter that all the to the disease caused by the new to project the image that all is good,” “That said, this is in line with an ing party newspaper Rodong Sinmun drinking parties. people should observe the standards coronavirus. Pardo said in a post on Twitter.

C M Y K TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 | 10 CULTURE & ARTS The mantras of making working from home possible If you are looking for ways to boost your performance and tackle distraction while working remotely, here are some tips.

MONICA KHANAL not miss out on small tasks. Sayomi Prajapati, KATHMANDU who began working from home for the past week or so, told the Post, “Goal setting helps When Nasana Bajracharya was asked by her me take control of my schedule. I try to allo- supervisors to work from home, in light of the cate time for each task, structure each one, and outbreak of Covid-19, she had trouble being maintain the flow of work.” productive. At home, she found the amount of The internet and social media are powerful distractions more. Currently an employee at distractions. Especially at home, you have Changing Stories Nepal, she shares the more excuses to not focus on your work. While sentiment with many. More and more people setting deadlines, you can also give yourself are being advised to practice social distancing breaks and attend to your distraction in that for an unknown period and companies are time. asking employees to work from home, a concept that has already got its own Magic numbers of productivity abbreviation: WFH. An experiment by Draugiem Group, an inter- For many Nepali employees like Nasana, national software company, to find habits that working from home is a new challenge this differentiates the most productive employees global pandemic has brought forth. According from the rest, discovered the top 10 percent of to data from the National Bureau of Economic their most productive employees followed a Research, working from home led to a 13 per- similar pattern—52 minutes of work followed cent performance increase, of which about 9 by a 17-minute break. percent was attributed to working more min- The Energy Project, a global consulting utes per shift (fewer breaks and sick-days). firm, suggests taking short breaks every 90 However, in Nepal, we are yet to see how this minutes because every 90 minutes, human sudden shift to remote working proves in terms beings transition from an energetic and of employee productivity. focused to drained mindset due to psychosocial Working from home demands you supervise fatigue. your own actions and work amidst a myriad of The magic numbers of productivity vary distractions. It becomes easier to give in to and work differently for everyone but it boils temptations and escape work responsibilities, down to taking breaks responsibly. especially when we can not mentally associate Jyotshana Acharya, a work from home work with our homes. So, if you are searching employee at Creative SEO, also takes frequent for ways to boost your performance and tackle breaks to rejuvenate. For her, even mundane distraction while working remotely, here are tasks, like drinking water, tea or stretching, some tips for you. helps her stay calm. “It is about smartly managing your time to Starting fresh for the day boost productivity rather than actively staring Abbal Dhakal, a freelance writer who has at a laptop for hours but getting nothing done,” worked from home for the past two years, said Acharya. “Relaxing, breathing, taking makes sure he wakes up early and exercises power naps and just getting up from that chair first thing in the morning. Changing into a every now and then can reduce the constant fresh set of clothes, which does not necessarily stress of work.” have to be work attire, gets him going. “Exercising helps me fight lousiness, organ- Level up your social distancing game ise my train of thoughts and gives me time to According to the State of Remote Work 2018 get back at tasks I need to pick up from,” said Report, 21 percent of remote workers found Dhakali. “For me, it is not changing into office loneliness as their biggest struggle. Especially wear, but the act of changing the clothes that in this time of pandemic, anxiety and social transitions me into a working mindset.” distancing is making it harder for employees to While getting ready for office and the com- reconcile the loss of human connection. At mute helps many mentally prepare for work on these times, you have to remind yourself: what regular days, sticking to a similar office rou- are social media and productivity-enhancing tine and resisting distraction can help you UNSPLASH tools for? mentally associate work at home with regular Separate a dedicated working space and skip taking the work’s burden to your bed. If comes to getting their work done, so work You can smartly social distance by optimally business days. treat it like an office you want to play with your creativity to make a when you think you will be most productive. utilising tools like Slack, Trello, Zoho, Wrike, The comfort of home is boundless—the couch, customised office space, focus on making it Asana, Microsoft Teams for project manage- Convey your expectations a cosy bed, a blaring TV, and other comfortable and motivating. Strategic planning of your everyday goals ment; Google Suite, Office 365, Dropbox for How likely is your mother to call you for lunch, distractions you only have outside work. If In addition, no one would like taking office In absence of monitoring while working from documentation; TeamViewer, Microsoft your grandmother to put the radio on full blast you’re not careful, you are likely to spill tasks home. But while you’re working from home, you must take responsibility. Starting Remote Desktop, AnyDesk for remote connec- or your cousin to pop up while you’re video your work all over the place, from documents home itself, distinguishing that grey area that without a plan can overwhelm you with tasks tions and screen sharing; and, TimeDoctor, conferencing with your boss? Working remote- to web camera stands, if you do not have looms between home and work is hard. When you have to finish, unclear deadlines and clut- HubStaff, Harvest, Workast for time and task ly is just as relatively a new concept for our a designated area. you do not have to log off and get home, it is tered priorities. management. family members, siblings, or roommates as it is Setting up a dedicated workspace—even just easy for you to lose track of time. The overlap- Goal-setting has proven to improve perfor- If working remotely is making you feel to us. This sudden shift in Nepal demands a separate table and chair, with best wifi recep- ping of work and home can impact your work- mance and act as a powerful motivator. lonely and far from your colleagues, you can that we clearly explain how the concept works tion and good lighting—helps you settle into a life balance, which can show negatively in your Assigning a deadline to your goals can work always get in touch via social media. Even if to our family members, what we expect of working mode. This creates a boundary for you happiness at work and performance. Set an wonders. You can broadly categorise one to you’re dealing with it well, you can use them to them and what they can expect of us and your work life, too, which will help you alarm to call it a day, at a time you’d usually four areas you want to work on, label them check on your colleagues who you think during our working hours. Make sure they separate it from family time. You can activate leave the office, and if you yet have unfinished over the ‘Urgent Vs Important’ matrix (also might be mentally- or emotionally-down. understand working from home does not employee mode once you are in the space and tasks or new ideas, attend to them the next day. called the Eisenhower Decision Matrix). Then Combine the tips that best suit you and you’re equate to a day off. leave it there once you log off for the day, to Additionally, everyone is different when it make a detailed check-list under those areas to all good to go. Tap into these apps to optimise remote working While more popular systems by Facebook and Skype might be go-to tools for many, now is the perfect time to experiment with other collaborative platforms. Asana Zoom

Asana is a full-fledged office on the Video conferencing is one the most cloud. At its core, Asana is a team man- important cornerstones for remote agement software that offering a host of work, and team and project meetings features for remote work. The applica- are a necessity in any kind of tion supports brainstorming, calen- professional workspace. Skype for dar management, contact manage- Businesses has always been the ment, content management, discus- go-to service for conference calls, but sion boards, document management, while Skype is great, Zoom is better. project management, real-time editing Zoom offers better HD conferencing and task management systems. If calls, meeting minutes and is even a you’re managing larger teams work- bit easier on the wallet. But amidst a ing remotely, Asana helps bring every- slew of disconnected callers, poor one together on one platform. Although video or crackling audio, Zoom’s big- Asana is great for team and project gest selling point still remains its sta- management, it misses some core fea- bility. It’s hard to put a price on a ser- tures essential for managers, like job vice that just works. Zoom also lets costing and resource management. users call into a meeting via a Asana is free for a team of less than toll-free phone number depending on 15 people. But if you want more fea- service availability while enriching tures and support for a workforce larg- the experience by providing hosts er than that, the Premium tier costs with the ability to share documents, $11 per month per user while the more share their screens across meeting feature-rich Business tier costs $24 per clients and even know when the month per user. While expensive, if Zoom window is not active on you’re looking for a complete digital a client’s computer. workspace for remote workers, there For free, Zoom lets you host up to aren’t many better alternatives than 100 people for 40 minutes while also Asana, although Bitrix24 is a close providing unlimited one-to-one meet- second. ings. There are paid plans as per InVision organisations’ needs starting from $15/host to $20/host InVision is a prototyping platform Trello focused on design and development. Service-based and prototype design Trello is a simple, light-weight and organisations will benefit greatly easy-to-use project management tool from the features of this service. The beloved by many for its simplicity. platform enables seamless communi- Trello doesn’t offer as many features cation between designers, clients and like most of the other tools managers. InVision enables creatives discussed here, which is what makes to upload their projects onto the plat- Trello stand out. You don’t need to form where clients and managers can learn Trello, a single glance at the easily tag certain elements, comment board and users will instantly on any part of the design and also understand where everything goes. send individual messages to the crea- The simple car design makes it tive team. The platform also supports easier for collaborators to create, REUTERS ideation phases where collaborative organise and prioritise actions PRAJESH SJB RANA to adopt. While more popular systems internal emails with depart- embedded images and files. Slack also discussions can take place before the while also providing them with the KATHMANDU by Facebook, Skype and Google Office ment-based channels. The central phi- has great video and audio-conferenc- actual work takes place. For web ability to comment, review and web applications might be the go-to losophy of Slack is that instead of ing features for digital team meetings development teams, InVision also embed files into content cards. Trello Many local businesses, organisations, tool for many local organisations, now sending out individual emails to spe- although there are better alternatives helps bridge the gap between the also connects with various other and institutions have started imple- is the perfect time to experiment with cific people within a department, for conference calls. front- and back-end developers by pro- applications and works collaborative- menting work-from-home policies to new collaborative technologies with a short messages can be dropped inside Slack has a free option but also fea- viding developers with the ability to ly with other management support social distancing efforts, to distinct focus on remote working. departmental channels that everyone tures two paid tiers: Standard and inspect and pull HTML, CSS and icons applications well. combat the rapid spread of Covid-19. Here we take a look at some digital from a specific group can view while Plus. Standard packages are $8 per straight from the prototype rather The free version of Trello is And in tiring times like these, the con- systems that could be useful to both also enabling managers to keep track person and Plus packages are $15. than asking the designer to slice extremely generous, offering unlimit- cept of remote work has turned into a individuals and organisations while of conversations and work happening Slack is definitely not cheap, but is everything for web development. ed project boards and collaborators. necessity rather than a luxury. But as facilitating and managing remote work. within a specific department. Slack is one of the best team messaging apps InVision is free for one project, $15 The paid versions extend Trello’s more and more workforces move Slack also jam-packed with features that out there that can truly replace tradi- gives you access to three simulation capabilities a bit but for many smaller towards collaborative technologies, help team-based communication with tional emails with a more social and projects and $25 will give you access to or mid-sized businesses, the free ver- these technologies can be difficult for Slack is a tool that aims to replace support for emojis, ‘reacjis’, and interactive messaging system. an unlimited number of projects. sion should be more than enough.

C M Y K 11 | TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 SPORTS BRIEFING Canada, Australia withdraw from Tokyo Games NSC offers sports facilities for quarantine, isolation purpose The two countries said they would not participate if the Games were not pushed back to 2021 though IOC and Japan are considering new plans. KATHMANDU: The National Sports Council has announced that its sports Monday by telling parliament that facilities could be used as quarantine postponement may be considered if centres and isolation wards to pre- holding the Games in its “complete vent the spread of coronavirus. form” became impossible. In a statement on Monday, the coun- “If that becomes difficult, we may try’s apex sports body offered around have no option but to consider post- 50 such facilities across the country, poning the Games, given the Olympic including the Dashrath Stadium principle of putting the health of ath- premises at Tripureshwor, letes first,” he said. Abe also said call- International Sports Complex at ing off the Games entirely was not an Satdobato in the Capital, to be used option, echoing the IOC position in its for the purpose. The council’s statement that cancellation “was not announcement follows the confirma- on the agenda”. tion of the second coronavirus case Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro in Kathmandu on Monday. The first Mori later echoed the same senti- case was detected and cured in ments and admitted he was becoming January. Covid-19 has killed nearly frustrated by some of the criticism of 15,000 people worldwide since it was organisers. “I’m not so foolish as to first detected in the Chinese city of assume that athletes and everyone Wuhan in December. (SB) else involved in the Olympics would come to Tokyo amid the global corona- Half of French clubs likely to virus crisis, even if we were to push forward with holding it as planned,” get bankrupt, says top boss he told reporters on Monday. PARIS: Half of France’s professional The Olympic torch relay – due to football clubs could go bankrupt due start on Thursday – would go ahead as to the coronavirus crisis, a top offi- planned for now, even though that cial insisted on Sunday. Bernard schedule was also open to change, Caiazzo, president of the group which organising committee CEO Toshiro represents clubs in the French top Muto said at the same news confer- flight, also said that the season will ence. not resume until “at best on June 15”. The US Olympic and Paralympic “Without state aid, within six Committee (USOPC), who said they months, half of the professional would not be commenting on Canada’s clubs will file for bankruptcy,” decision on Sunday, had earlier wel- Caiazzo, who also sits on the board of comed the IOC’s new position but said St Etienne, told France Bleu Loire. more clarity was needed to remove “The five major European champion- “enormous ambiguity” for athletes. ships have already lost four billion AP/RSS The Olympics have never been post- euros; the French championship A man stands in front of a countdown display for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday. poned or cancelled during peacetime between 500 to 600 million.” The but the IOC’s decision to consider French season was shut down on REUTERS (COC) and Paralympic Committee on the IOC to postpone. home and abroad,” read the state- postponement was met with relief March 13. (AFP) TORONTO/TOKYO, MARCH 23 (CPC) released a statement saying that More than 14,600 people have died ment. from several other major stakehold- while they recognised the complexi- globally since the coronavirus out- “The AOC believes our athletes ers, including World Athletics, the Canada and Australia said they would ties of a postponement, “nothing is break began and containment meas- now need to prioritise their own International Paralympic Committee Anderlecht fire assistant not be sending athletes to the Tokyo more important than the health and ures have severely hampered the abil- health and of those around them, (IPC) and major national Olympic coach to curb expenses Olympics if the Games went ahead as safety of our athletes and the world ity of some athletes to prepare for the and to be able to return to the committees. scheduled this year as pressure on community”. Games. families, in discussion with their Canada’s boycott will only add to BRUSSELS: Belgian giant Anderlecht organisers to postpone because of the Martin Richard, communications While many Canadian athletes and national federations.” the pressure for a quick decision, how- have fired assistant coach Par coronavirus pandemic reached fever chief for the CPC, said the Canadians officials welcomed the COC’s move, The announcements followed a ever. “We welcome the IOC Executive Zetterberg to save money as the coro- pitch on Monday. had been hoping for a decision on some were not happy. “I believe in the weekend in which major stakeholders Board decision to review the options navirus football lockdown starts to The International Olympic Sunday and decided to withdraw when safety of our lives but this is prema- such as US Track and Field and in respect of a postponement of the bite. The club say they fired the Committee (IOC) and Japanese gov- none came. “The world is facing a cri- ture,” Sage Watson, the reigning Pan UK Athletics, along with some nation- Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” British 49-year-old Swede due to major reve- ernment had on Sunday and Monday sis and this is more important than American champion in the 400 metres al Olympic committees, had called for Olympic Association chairman Hugh nue losses since the championship slightly shifted their position that the any other sport event,” he told Reuters hurdles, tweeted. a delay because of the pandemic. Robertson said on Sunday. “However, was suspended because of coronavi- Games would start as planned on July from Ottawa. Richard said for Soon after the Canadian statement, The IOC responded on Sunday with we urge rapid decision-making for the rus. “Professional football, as with 24, announcing a month-long consulta- Paralympic athletes, some of whom the Australian Olympic Committee a statement that promised discussions sake of athletes who still face signifi- many other economic endeavours, is tion over other “scenarios”. That was had underlying conditions, it would be (AOC) said it had told its athletes to in the next four weeks over scenarios cant uncertainty.” faced with major challenges by Covid- not sufficient for the Canadians or risky to expose them if the virus was prepare for a Tokyo Games taking that would include an option of put- The last major boycott of the 19,” Anderlecht told local media. “It is Australians, who said they would not not contained. “We felt it was unethi- place in 2021. “The AOC (Executive ting back the July start date, or even Olympics was when the Soviet bloc having a major economic impact on be participating if the Games were not cal to have them be put in that posi- Board) unanimously agreed that an moving the Games back by a year or stayed away from the 1984 Los Angeles club,” said Anderlecht, who won their pushed back to 2021. tion,” he said, adding that Canada had Australian team could not be assem- more. Japanese Prime Minister Games, although North Korea and last three league games. (AFP) Canada’s Olympic Committee not been alone in applying pressure bled in the changing circumstances at Shinzo Abe followed suit early on Cuba skipped the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Brescia president wants Japanese football and baseball eyeing Serie A season cancelled for April restarts AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE death toll shot past 3,000 on Saturday. ROME, MARCH 23 The region’s 12-percent mortality rate among those officially infected is ASSOCIATED PRESS The head of an Italian football club much higher than anything reported TOKYO, MARCH 23 based at the heart of the coronavirus out of China’s Hubei province at the pandemic in Brescia said it was time peak of its outbreak this year. None of On a day when Japan’s prime minister to cancel the Serie A season because the teams based in the region have admitted postponing the Tokyo of “the plague”. expressed an interest in playing any Olympics may be unavoidable, medi- The top Italian league’s basement time soon. cal experts suggested it could be possi- dwellers are destined for relegation This is not the case for those based ble for the top-flight Japanese baseball — should the matches ever play out to around Rome or playing in southern and soccer seasons to resume by the their logical end in May. No ball has regions that have been relatively end of next month. been kicked in anger in the foot- spared in the first month of an out- Nippon Professional Baseball ball-mad country since March 9 break that has now spread around the Organisation and the JLeague because of an outbreak that bore world. The capital region’s Lazio — received advice Monday from down on Italy from China last month. just a point behind perennial champi- medical experts during the fourth The nation of 60 million is under a ons Juventus — have said they wanted meeting of the joint panel that was lockdown that could well run for many to start training as early as Monday. formed to assess impacts of the more weeks. Italian media speculate they might coranavirus pandemic. Mitsuo Schools are not expected to reopen postpone it until after the ban on pub- Kaku, a professor in infection until after the summer. Stores may be lic gatherings formally expires on control and prevention at Tohoku shuttered for many weeks. The gov- Wednesday. Sixth-placed Napoli also Medical and Pharmaceutical ernment ordered huge factories to aired plans to start practise next week. University, said the sports officials suspend their operations Saturday Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has should be targeting a start date at the night. Yet some Italian clubs with title already indicated that all the national end of April. aspirations are thinking of resuming bans and closures will be extended for AFP/RSS “There’s one month until then, so I practise in preparation for possible weeks if not months. Boys wearing protective masks play football outside their homes in Gaza City, Palestine, on Sunday. Palestinian health authorities have would like them to prepare as much as matches behind closed doors. Torino club president Urbano Cairo confirmed 59 Covid-19 cases so far. possible while looking at the situa- The idea created understandable told Italian media it was “lunacy” to tion,” Kaku said. interest in an Italian sports media be thinking about football during Both leagues have been targeting a market starved of anything to write what Conte on Saturday called Italy’s return at the beginning of April, but about — or debate. It also prompted biggest disaster since World Way II. now it seems like they need to push it Brescia president Massimo Cellino to Cairo said clubs from region that had back further. NPB Commissioner bluntly tell those thinking of playing managed to largely avoid the outbreak FIFA boss Infantino wants reformation Atsushi Saito said the revised timing during a national crisis that has killed were “foolish to argue (for a resump- would be OK “if the situation stays close to 5,000 people in Italy to focus on tion) based on contagion data”. the same and our preparation is fully saving lives. Napoli’s southern Campania region ready.”’ “Life first. Life, damn it,” the has recorded only 22 deaths. “Saying in world football to avoid financial crisis J-League chairman Mitsuru Murai 63-year-old businessman told the my region has no problem, when the said soccer officials would have anoth- Corriere dello Sport in a frank inter- situation is constantly changing, ASSOCIATED PRESS time to try to finish their seasons. er meeting later in the week. “It is view. “Everything has to be moved to makes no sense,” Cairo said. Brescia’s GENEVA, MARCH 23 The shutdown means there are difficult to forecast for the long-term the next season. It is time for realism, Cellino agreed. “This season is fin- already too few dates in the FIFA- because the situation is constantly gentlemen. This is the plague,” Cellino ished. Anyone who wants this cursed The future of football could be fewer managed calendar to complete the changing,” Murai said. “If we decide said. Brescia is one of the cities in (title), take it. It is closed. Finished,” games and fewer top competitions to scheduled qualification paths for the it is difficult to resume matches at the Italy’s northern Lombardy region the club president said. And I am not help avoid a financial crisis, FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The pressure beginning of April during the meet- around Milan most heavily hit by the saying this because Brescia are last in president Gianni Infantino said in a now on football stakeholders — many ing, we will simulate dates in two new infectious disease. Lombardy’s the standings.” newspaper interview published with conflicting interests — is likely weeks interval such as on April 18 and Monday. to force a debate on the squeezed May 2.” With football around the world in schedule that the pandemic has Earlier Monday, Japan Prime near-total shutdown and no end in exposed. Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliamen- sight because of the coronavirus pan- Some influential clubs in Europe tary session that a postponement of demic, Infantino said the sport risked are pushing to get more guaranteed the Tokyo Olympics would be neces- going into recession. Maybe we can games in a bigger Champions League, sary if the games cannot be held in a reform world football by taking a step and 20-team top leagues could be complete way. Abe was speaking hours back, Infantino said in the interview REUTERS under pressure to make cuts. Those after the the International Olympic with Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport Gianni Infantino include leagues in England, Spain and Committee said for the first time that published on his 50th birthday. “There Italy. it was considering a postponement of needs to be an evaluation of the global Before the pandemic, Infantino “It’s not science fiction. Let’s dis- the games, which are scheduled to impact,” the FIFA president said. added to the congested football calen- cuss it,” Infantino said about the pos- start July 24. “Let’s all together save football from a dar by expanding the World Cup from sibility of changing football calen- Worldwide, nearly 340,000 crisis that risks becoming irreversi- 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 edition, and dars. people have been infected and more ble.” by trying to launch a 24-team Club FIFA announced last month a task than 14,700 have died from the Infantino said different formats World Cup next year. The inaugural force of officials from member federa- virus that first emerged in central could be an answer, “with fewer, but edition of the latter tournament in tions, clubs, leagues and player unions China late last year. As cases in more interesting tournaments. Maybe China was delayed last week after that would look at drafting a new China ebbed, the dangers to Europe fewer squads, but more balance. UEFA and South American football match calendar from 2024. That work and the U.S. have grown exponentially. Fewer, but more competitive, matches body CONMEBOL postponed their could also now include the next four As of Sunday, Japan had 1,719 con- GETTY IMAGES to safeguard the health of the play- championships by one year to 2021. years to adjust to the current shut- firmed cases of the virus, with 43 Massimo Cellino ers.” That was to give domestic leagues down. deaths.

C M Y K (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 | 12

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