National Context: • New laboratories for RT-PCR testing have been added • The districts with COVID-19 active positive cases are 74 out with the total number now at 66 with 42 governments of 77, with 984 deaths. The last two weeks saw more than 200 and 24 from private sector (MoHP, Situation Report #266). COVID-19 related deaths and 40,000 new positive cases across • Rapid gender assessment undertaken by the Ministry of (Ministry of Health and Population – MoHP). Women, Children and Senior Citizens, in collaboration • The MoHP has sought explanation from those government hos- with UN Women, Care Nepal and Save the Children pitals, which are taking or have decided to take deposit from the has revealed that groups most affected by COVID-19, COVID-19 patients; as the MoHP has directed government hos- include daily wagers, farmers, landless women, women pitals for providing treatment without taking any deposit from working in adult entertainment sector, women from Dal- the COVID-19 patients (MoHP Media Briefing, 1 Nov, 2020). it and Madhesi communities, gender and sexual minori- • Health experts have warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is out ties, differently-abled women, adolescent girls, displaced of control in the country’s capital, Kathmandu. On an average, women, and those living with HIV AIDS. According to one in every 28 people in has contracted the report, women’s unpaid care workload has increased coronavirus as of 31st October, 2020; having 42.34 per cent of as a result of the lockdown. Domestic workers have to active cases alone, among the 77 districts of the country. work between 18-22 hours each day, instead of the usual • About 80 per cent of the active cases are in home isolation. All 7 six to 10 hours now. Household and care work burden Provinces in the country are now having transmission as clusters have not been shared equally among other family mem- of cases. Overall, the gender distribution remains skewed towards bers (Focused C19 Media Monitoring Nepal, WHO, 1 Nov, 2020). males, who constitute 68 per cent (109024/160399) of the con- • According to the news reports, private hospitals are de- firmed cases. Amongst the males, 84.1 per cent (91722/109024) manding a deposit of NPR 100,000 to NPR 300,000 or are in the economically productive age group (15-54-years) even more from each COVID-19 patient before start- (WHO Nepal, Situation Report #28, 28 October, 2020). ing their treatment after the announcement of GoN a • The World Bank has approved a USD80 million project to bolster few weeks ago, to discontinue free test and treatment of Nepal’s agriculture sector by strengthening rural market linkages COVID-19 patients, except for certain groups including and promoting entrepreneurship while creating jobs to support the helpless, impoverished and Person with Disabilities post-COVID-19 recovery (News Release, World Bank, 28 October, 2020). (PwDs).

Local Context: Doti, Achham, Dailekh, Kailali, Kanchanpur, chanpur, Doti, Achham and , with 1572 Banke, Bardiya and Dhading migrant returnees” conducted by DCA and Partners in • In Bardiya, District Administration Office, issued a notice last Sudur Paschim Province in September 2020 shows that week, asking people to stay home unless an emergency. The 98.7% of migrant’s returnee have lost their household COVID-19 infected office, house or village shall be sealed im- livelihood due to COVID-19. For Full Report: https://reliefweb. int/report/nepal/survey-report-covid-19-impact-migrants-workers- mediately with no mobility of people; ban on organising train- sudurpashchim-pradesh ing, seminars and workshops; only vehicles with pass following • The GoN decision to not bear the cost of COVID-19 odd even system is allowed to move with ID card; the shops treat-ment for other citizens except frontline workers will remain close on Saturday and open from 10 AM to 5 PM and the helpless ones, have created worries on the peo- on other days (DCA Partner, TWUC Bardiya, weekly report). ple regarding the upcoming situation, given the increase • In Doti and Dailekh Districts, numbers of COVID-19 positive in the COVID-19 positive cases and amount of cost cases have gone high in the urban areas. The LGs have still re- needed for COVID-19 treatment (Partners discussion with stricted mass gathering and mobility of crowd in the temples. the people). • In Kailali, Doti and Bardiya, LGs are taking initiatives to dis- • Given the limited resources, the LGs are unable to pro- seminate the COVID-19 awareness messages to the general vide employment to all the migrant returnees and that is public through Facebook and miking in every areas and telling forcing them to go back to looking for job. People people about the importance of mask and sanitation. are going back to India owing to joblessness and poverty • A study “COVID-19 Impact on Migrants Workers” in Kan- from Doti, Achham and Dailekh districts. DCA HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE DCA in Nepal has supported in nine districts so far in , , , Sudurpaschim Prov- ince and . Other activities including hygiene support, and risk communication will continue this week.

Moving towards the recovery of HHs affected from COVID-19: DCA’s Early Recovery inter- ventions are focused on economic recovery, protection of the most vulnerable HHs/individuals and WASH. For further details: https://reliefweb.int/report/nepal/nepal-covid-19-towards-early-recovery.

Through its local implementing partner - Action Nepal, and in close coordination with the local government, DCA has been continously providing psychosocial counsel- ling, hygiene awareness support, installation of hand washing stations, among other activities including construction of toilets, distribution of hygiene kits among others at quarantine centres in . The intervention is part of the the UK Aid funded #PURNIMA project, managed by Mott MacDonald.

#Facebook https://fb.watch/1d8PUvVVs0/ https://purnimanepal.com/stories_posts/combatting-psychosocial-issues/ Previous SITREPs: https://reliefweb.int/organization/dca Socio-economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19: reflection of the key findingshttps://reliefweb.int/report/nepal/ covid-19-socio-economic-survey-report-humanitarian-response-team-dca-nepal-office-june DCA COVID-19 Response: Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) Highlights: https://reliefweb.int/report/nepal/dca-covid-19-re- sponse-post-distribution-monitoring-highlights For further information, Please write us to [email protected] Samjhana Bista, DCA in Nepal, [email protected]