WI THOUT F EAR O R F A V O U R Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 156 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 37.0 C 16.2 C Saturday, July 24, 2021 | 09-04-2078 Dipayal Jumla From vaccines to a balancing act, Deuba faces tough foreign policy challenges It is not just about India and China anymore. With the changes in international rivalries, Nepal needs to tread carefully while safeguarding its interests, observers say. ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, JULY 23 Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has his plate full. And there are a cou- ple issues he needs to address immedi- ately—the sooner the better. Besides calibrating Nepal’s foreign policy, particularly vis-a-vis India and China, a perennial challenge for every government in Nepal given its geopolitical location, there is an added task for Deuba—securing Covid-19 vaccines. That the pandemic is trig- gering a huge geopolitical flux is something the 10-day-old prime minis- ter cannot ignore. Then there is clearing up the mess that his predecessor KP Sharma Oli POST FILE PHOTO created in Nepal’s handling of its for- Sher Bahadur Deuba AFP/RSS eign relations. An overview shows performers and athlete delegations taking part in the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic “Obviously he faces some chal- While taking the vote of confidence Stadium in Tokyo on Friday. lenges in the changing regional on Sunday, Prime Minister Deuba and global scenarios in the gave some indications of his foreign post-Covid world,” said a policy when he said its priority will joint-secretary at the Ministry of begin with neighbouring countries Foreign Affairs. “Earning the and then go on to include the region, Tokyo Olympics begins—with muted trust and goodwill of India, the major powers of the United States China, the United States, the and Europe and others. European Union and other pow- “There are no permanent friends ers as well as balancing their and enemies in foreign policy and ceremony and empty stadium interests such that it is compati- international relations but there is ble with our own foreign policy always a permanent interest,” he said. objectives is the key.” >> Continued on page 2 Athletes march into the stadium in usual parade, waving to thousands of empty seats and to a world hungry to watch them compete but surely wondering what to make of it all. ASSOCIATED PRESS portray that the Games—and their Organisers held a moment of TOKYO, July 23 spirit—are going on. silence for those who had died of Early on, an ethereal blue light Covid; as it ticked off and the music Belated and beleaguered, the virus-de- bathed the empty seats as loud music paused, the sounds of the protests omegawatches.com layed Tokyo Summer Olympics finally muted the shouts of scattered protest- echoed in the distance. opened on Friday night with cascading ers outside calling for the Games to be Protesters’ shouts from outside the fireworks and made-for-TV choreogra- cancelled—a widespread sentiment arena gave voice to a fundamental phy that unfolded in a near-empty sta- here. A single stage held an octagon question about these Games as Japan, dium, a colourful but strangely sub- shape meant to resemble the country’s and large parts of the world, reel from dued ceremony that set a striking tone fabled Mount Fuji. Later, an orches- the continuing gut punch of a pan- to match a unique pandemic Games. tral medley of songs from iconic demic that is stretching well into its As their opening played out, devoid Japanese video games served as the second year, with cases in Tokyo of the usual crowd energy, the soundtrack for athletes’ entrances. approaching record highs this week: Olympics convened amid simmering Athletes marched into the stadium Will the deep, intrinsic human attach- anger and disbelief in much of the in their usual parade, waving enthusi- ment to the spectacle of sporting com- host country, but with hopes from astically to thousands of empty seats petition at the highest possible level organisers that the excitement of the and to a world hungry to watch them be enough to salvage these Games? sports to follow would offset the wide- compete but surely wondering what to Time and again, previous opening spread opposition. make of it all. Some athletes marched ceremonies have pulled off something Trepidations throughout Japan socially distanced, while others clus- that approaches magic. Scandals— have threatened for months to drown tered in ways utterly contrary to bribery in Salt Lake City, censorship out the usual carefully packaged glitz organisers’ hopes. The Czech Republic and pollution in Beijing, doping in of the opening. Inside the stadium entered with other countries even Sochi—fade into the background after dusk on Friday, however, a pre- though its delegation has had several when the sports begin. cisely calibrated ceremony sought to positive Covid tests since arriving. >> Continued on page 6 At Covid-19 call centre, most of the queries of late are about vaccines Operators say though they are troubled by some prank calls, the overwhelming number of people asking about jabs is an encouraging sign that Nepalis are up for the shots. nation with the World Health Organisation to disseminate informa- tion about the coronavirus. In the ini- tial days, it was operated from Jawalakhel and the government had outsourced the service. But a month later it was shifted to Teku. The hotline number 1115 is open from 6am to 10pm, and a total of 12 RECORDING OLYMPIC DREAMS SINCE 1932 staff run the call centre in two shifts. “Over the past three days, most of the calls are from vaccinated people Every athlete has a dream. It lives in their heart and it pushes them towards who want to know how to get the immunisation certification,” Dhakal victory. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, these dreams will be given a stage. told the Post on Thursday afternoon, This is the moment when inspiration meets performance, when ambition as hundreds of Nepali migrant work- ers were jostling in queues to get the meets precision, and when the Official Timekeeper OMEGA records it all. vaccination certification braving a heavy July rain. POST PHOTO: DRISHNA STHAPIT According to the operators, in the Call operators at the EDCD call centre handling public queries regarding Covid-19. The 1115 initial days, people used to call to hotline number receives around 700 calls a day on average. know about the coronavirus and ways to be safe. But after the government’s ANUP OJHA was launched in late January, over 60 vaccination campaign faced a hitch KATHMANDU, JULY 23 percent of our callers have been ask- for a lack of vaccines, the number of ing when and where they can get the calls suddenly grew, with people ask- At the coronavirus call centre set up vaccine,” said Amrit Dhakal, 30, who ing when they could get vaccinated. on the second floor of the Epidemiology has been working at the call centre for When vaccines started to arrive, AVAILABLE AT: and Disease Control Division at Teku, the past one year. people now want to know where REGENCY WATCH: Annapurna Arcade, Durbar Marg phones ring constantly. From six in On an average, he handles over and when vaccines are being adminis- 1 Durbar Mall, Thamsherku Center, Durbar Marg the morning to ten at night, operators 80 calls from across the country daily, tered and which types of vaccines MGA International Pvt Ltd deal with a flurry of questions, mostly he said. are being given to the people, a call regarding Covid-19 vaccines. The government established the call operator said. “Ever since the immunisation drive centre on March 13 last year in coordi- >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Infections soar in Sudurpaschim as restrictions are lifted The number of Covid-19 patients suffering from diarrhoea, fatigue, loss of appetite and bloating, among other symptoms, has increased, health workers say. ARJUN SHAH Out of 1,531 PCR tests conducted DHANGADHI, JULY 23 between July 9 and July 15 in Sudurpaschim, 224 tested positive for The relaxation of prohibitory orders Covid-19. Between July 16 and July 22, and complacency among the general 207 out of 567 swab samples reported public have contributed to the rise in positive results, the data of the health the number of Covid-19 cases in directorate showed. Sudurpaschim Province, health According to the Ministry of Health workers say. and Population, Sudurpaschim has Social gatherings and crowding in the highest infection rate in the coun- public places have further worsened try followed by Gandaki, Karnali and the situation, with the virus rapidly other provinces. Province 2 has the spreading in settlements across vari- lowest infection rate, with only 144 out ous districts of the province. of 2,517 swab samples testing positive Prohibitory orders were imposed in between July 16 and July 22, the record various districts of Sudurpaschim of the ministry showed. Province April 29 onwards. The pro- In Sudurpaschim Province, PCR vincial government started introduc- tests are being conducted at Seti ing gradual relaxations from July 11 Hospital in Dhangadhi, Mahakali in various districts. Hospital in Mahendranagar and in Businesses including hotels, restau- other facilities in Dadeldhura, rants and transportation have Doti, Bajhang, Baitadi and Achham resumed services in all districts of the districts. province. “Between July 16 and July 22, Covid- POST PHOTO: DEEpaK KC Bimal Khadka, a resident of 19 cases have increased in Dhangadhi, Workers prepare cotton to make a quilt at an open space in Teku, Kathmandu on Friday.