Test, Test, Test, Says WHO but Nepal Has Neither the Means Nor the Matter
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WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 34 | 12 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 31.0 C 2.0 C Monday, March 23, 2020 | 10-12-2076 Dhangadi Jumla Test, test, test, says WHO but Nepal has neither the means nor the matter The number of individuals tested for Covid-19 is far lower than the number of tests as among the 572 tests done so far, 175 Nepalis evacuated from Hubei were counted twice. ARJUN POUDEL KATHMANDU, MARCH 22 Sandeep Rai arrived at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku on Sunday with his colleagues Anuj Adhikari and Habin Bhandari. All three work for Huawei Technologies Nepal, where their supervisor had asked them to take a Covid-19 test as one of their colleagues had been down with fever, sore throat and body aches for the past REUTERS several days. Doctors at the hospital measured “You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. their temperatures, which was nor- And we cannot stop this pandemic if mal, and then sent them home, saying we don’t know who is infected,” said they did not require tests. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “We did not go to the hospital to get director-general of the World Health temperatures taken. Our office Organization on March 16. already does that every day,” said “We have a simple message for all POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI 32-year-old Rai. “They only asked us to countries: test, test, test. Test every A nurse takes temperature of an elderly person using a thermal gun at Bir Hospital in Kathmandu on Sunday. maintain social distance and contact suspected case,” he emphasised. them if something unusual happened. But the Nepal government has con- We are worried not only about our sistently repeated that there has only health but also the health of our fami- been one confirmed case of Covid-19 ly members.” in Nepal--in January and subsequent- This was a common refrain among ly cured--without conducting tests. Government to close down border the many patients who’d arrived at the People like Rai, who present symp- Sukraraj Hospital seeking a Covid-19 toms or have been in contact with test, at a time when the World Health someone who might have the disease, Organization has consistently urged are being sent home without being with India and China for a week countries to conduct large-scale test- tested. ing across populations. >> Continued on page 4 With calls growing to shut border crossings amid rising number of Covid-19 cases in India, a Cabinet meeting decided to seal all international borders. TIKA R PRADHAN primary hospital for the treatment KATHMANDU, MARCH 22 of Covid-19. The governments of Nepal and The government has decided to India had decided to operate just close down its borders with both four border points in the wake of India and China for a week, effec- the global Covid-19 pandemic. CULTURE & ARTS | 10 tive from 10am Monday, to deal However, the movements of with the crisis over Covid-19. A Nepalis and Indians were largely Cabinet meeting on Sunday took a unrestricted, not only through the Scintillating shows to stream that decision to this effect. designated border points but also are not mind-numbing “Today’s Cabinet meeting decid- through other land crossings ed to close all borders,” said along the 1,800-km Nepal-India Foreign Minister Pradeep border which is largely unmanned. Gyawali. “We have also decided to As India continues to report a set up a fund of Rs500 million, for steady rise in the number of which all ministers will donate a Covid-19 cases, Nepalis living and month’s salary.” working in various Indian cities The fund will be utilised to pur- have started to return home, stok- chase personal protective gear, ing concerns if they were properly masks, thermometers, ventilators screened before entering Nepal. and monitors, among other equip- Calls had been growing to seal ment required in the fight against the border with India, but given the coronavirus pandemic. the unique Nepal-India relations, The government has also decid- cross-border movement had not ed to develop the Armed Police been restricted. Force Hospital in Balambu as the >> Continued on page 4 As the world goes on lockdown, Nepali students find themselves out of a job With the Covid-19 outbreak shuttering businesses, Nepali students in foreign lands who work part-time to fund their studies are worried about paying their bills. worked 20 hours a week, but as city after city goes under lockdown, stu- dents like Shrestha are unable to work and make money, leaving them in a precarious situation where they might not be able to pay their college fees or even provide for their basic needs. “It’s already more than 10 days since I was laid off from work. I don’t know how I will be able to pay my tui- tion fee and rent if the shutdown con- tinues for long,” said Shrestha, who pays around 21,000 Australian dollars annually in tuition fees. There are an estimated 52,000 Nepali students studying in Australia, REUTERS according to 2019 data from the A deserted waterfront of Sydney Opera House, as shows were cancelled due to virus fears. Australian Department of Education. Bijay Sapkota, former president of the ELISHA SHRESTHA her financial status, rather than Council of International Students KATHMANDU, MARCH 22 Covid-19. Australia, had told the Post in Shrestha was laid off from her job December that most Nepali students Radhika Shrestha has been living in as a housekeeper after the govern- depend on part-time work to fund self-imposed quarantine in her tiny ment of Australia strongly urged peo- their studies. room in Melbourne, Australia for the ple to remain in self-imposed quaran- According to Rahul Bhandari, who past week. Every day, she attends her tine to mitigate the spread of the is a housekeeping manager at a university’s online classes, an alterna- coronavirus. Sydney hotel, the majority of Nepali tive learning medium assigned in an Like many Nepali students abroad, students in Australia work in hospital- attempt to deal with the Covid-19 out- 25-year-old Shrestha, who is doing her ity, a sector that’s been largely affected break. But as she’s not working at the master’s, is a self-financed student. In by Covid-19. moment, she is also stressed--about order to cover her expenses, she >> Continued on page 4 C M Y K MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020 | 02 MEDLEY Inside the Post Quote of the day As the world goes on lockdown, Nepali students find themselves out of a job, National Page 1 A meeting of Kanchanpur district’s coronavirus infection control sub-committee held on Sunday decided to seal the Gaddachauki-Banbasa border point for an indefinite period from Tuesday keeping in view the possible spread of Covid-19. “It’s already more than 10 days since I was laid off from work. I don’t know Opinion how I will be able to pay my tuition There is absolutely no proof that the customs duty on books has benefitted local printing presses; rather it has negatively affected readers and booksellers in the fee and rent if the shutdown country. That’s a shame. continues for long.” Culture & Arts Radhika Shrestha, a student in Australia, on the financial strain caused by the Covid-19 outbreak on students studying abroad. It’s a hard time for everyone. Coronavirus has affected everything more than public health, curtailing mobility, economy and socialisation. The government has urged everyone to limit their movement outdoors, as social distancing has been deemed one possible way to flatten the curve of the pandemic. Most read online Money Due to the halt in the international export of goods and services produced by Concerns over virus prompt doctors to apply for leave small and medium entrepreneurs, and declining domestic consumption with people focusing on buying daily essentials, business has fallen more than On Saturday, over 20 staffers, including nurses and doctors, serving at Sumeru expected. Hospital, Lalitpur, applied for leave. This startled the hospital management. “The number of staffers applying for leave has been rising by the day,” Hemraj Dahal, the hospital’s chairman, told the Post. “It’s not difficult to guess the rea- Sports son. Health workers fear that the coronavirus could spread.” As thousands of footballers, from the highest levels to the lower leagues, remain on lockdown while coronavirus spreads across Europe, all of them are tasked Amid Covid-19 fears, it is the people in lower economic strata with keeping themselves fit, as well as entertained. who are most vulnerable At Tripureshwor, on the big screen on the front of the United World Trade Centre building, slides of how to protect oneself from the novel coronavirus pop up every minute. Around town, people have their faces covered with blue, black, News Quiz yellow and white masks. On the radio, television and phones, public service announcements are being made, reminding people to regularly wash their hands with soap, use sanitisers, avoid crowds and maintain distance. 1. Coins believed to be minted 200 3. When is the World Water Day POST PHOTO: BEEJU MAHARJAN years ago were discovered observed? A woman carries an empty cooking gas cylinder at an exchange depot in Kathmandu. recently in which city? a. January 22 Sujeev Shakya: We are not a learning culture a. Janakpur b. February 22 Sujeev Shakya wears many hats.