Country facing health and economic crisis: Spokesperson Pradeep Gyawali

Minister for Foreign Affairs, also the spokesperson of the government, Pradeep Gyawali has asserted that the country was currently grappling with health and economic crisis.

In a press conference organized here today to make public the decisions of the cabinet meetings on September 4 and September 14, Minister Gyawali warned that a huge crisis could befall the country if the economic and health crisis were not duly addressed.

“Every day around 1,000 persons contracting COVID-19, daily deaths due to the Coronavirus among others have indicated that the COVID-19 graph was yet to reach the peak and start to flatten. Each citizen should consider themselves a soldier fighting COVID-19 at the forefront,” said Minister Gyawali.

Nepal recorded a total of 56,788 COVID-19 cases as of today. Altogether 371 COVID-19 infected persons have died of the deadly infection as of today.

The Minister expressed his dissatisfaction over some media interpreting COVID-19 as a regular infection and cautioned that such misleading information could puzzle the general public.

On the occasion, he urged one and all to observe health safety measures against the COVID-19.

The government, according to Minister Gyawali, has decided to let the hotels and restaurants run their business from September 17 ensuring safety protocols put in place by the government to contain the spread of the flu-like infection.

According to Gyawali, trekking and travel business will also come into operation beginning from September 17.

Furthermore, the government decided to permit hiring technical human resources for the development projects in the country for which they ought to produce their PCR report showing them testing negative in the COVID-19 test.

Likewise, alternative methods of teaching and learning would be employed to continue with the teaching-learning activities in the schools which have been shut down since the first stint of lockdown was enforced across the country on March 24 to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Places as an educational institution, cinema hall, dance bar, beauty parlor, swimming pool among others attracting crowd would not be allowed to operate until further notice. Similarly, religious sites and shrines, other places attracting higher footfalls such as zoos and library among others would also be shut down for the public.

Nepal would, however, be open since October 1 for the foreigners arriving Nepal for trekking and mountaineering. But they also need to produce PCR report prepared at least 72 hours ago and that which shows them testing negative for the COVID-19.