COVID-19 risk in Kathmandu Valley still high even as local administrations decide to further relax restrictions

KATHMANDU : Districts Administration Offices of three districts in the Kathmandu Valley – Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur – have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order allowing some more public activities.

The government has decided to allow public transportation vehicles with seat capacity of 25 to operate in the valley according to odd-even rules.

Grocery stores, dairy, meat shops stores that sell meat, fish, vegetables and fruits, book shops, stationary  to remain open till 6 PM. Departmental stores, shopping malls, clothes and shoe stores, cosmetics, jewelry shops, electronic stores, automobile related stores and mobile showrooms remain open from 11 AM to 6 PM. Private vehicles are also allowed to ply the roads as per the odd-even rules.

While the government is easing the prohibitory orders in the view of decreasing numbers of new COVID-19 cases, the Kathmandu Valley is still at high risk of the third wave of COVID-19, according to virologists and experts.

All the three districts in the Valley have more than 500 active cases of COVID-19 currently undergoing treatment at hospitals, according to the latest data of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP).

There are 4,391 active cases of COVID-19 in Kathmandu, 1,732 in Bhaktapur and 2,385 in Lalitpur districts as of Monday. Likewise, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts recorded 292, 32 and 100 new cases of COVID-19, respectively, on Sunday alone.

Similarly, there are currently 488 COVID-19 patients in HDUs, 200 in ICUs and 85 on ventilators in the Kathmandu Valley.

The number of new cases of COVID-19 is decreasing recently but it does not mean that the Kathmandu Valley is free from the risk of COVID-19. If proper COVID-19 safety protocols are not adopted, it is likely that Nepal will soon be hit by the third of COVID-19.