On Saturday, a group of youths staged a unique protest near Shahid Gate of Kathmandu – by sleeping on the sidewalks besides the main road. Demanding a better government response in terms of tackling COVID-19 in Nepal, they were primarily asking the government to:
- Extend PCR tests (and to not trust RDTs solely as testing towards COVID-19)
- Improve quarantine facilities, especially of the migrant workers returning from India.
- Make the details of the expenditure incurred towards tackling COVID-19 public (in detail).
According to Ms. Shrestha, one of the protesters, the protest was ‘symbolic’ – “they believe the government’s inaction in the wake of the health crisis equals to sleeping, and that they need to be nudged awake”.
