Kathmandu, Nepal:
After it was announced on 26th April, 2021 that Kathmandu Valley would be placed under a prohibitory order for a week (possibly extended to 15 days) – residents were given a two day window – to head back to their homes.
Perhaps the decision was arrived after considering what happened last year.
Last year in March, after snap lockdown was put in place, heartbreaking photos of migrants making their ways home on foot put the government in an uncomfortable position. This year probably we will not have to see those.
But new concerns arise – what if the residents travelling back home, some to remote parts of the country without adequate healthcare infrastructure are carrying the virus with them? This was a shared sentiment among different doctors yesterday – questions of the prohibitory orders being questioned, if movement was to be allowed unchecked.
What if they transmit the virus to their neighbours, crippling already exhausted healthcare resources – equipment, supplies, and human resources alike.
In Kalanki yesterday night, traffic lines stretched all the way to Thankot as jam packed vehicles made their ways to different parts of the country. Clearly, prescribed physical distancing measures weren’t being practiced. Here are a few photos:
