Corona virus are large families of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several corona viruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered corona virus causes corona virus disease COVID-2019.

COVID-2019 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered corona virus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. COVID-2019 is now a pandemic affecting many countries globally.

Self- isolation, Self-quarantine & Physical distancing

 Quarantine means restricting activities or separating people who are not ill. The goal is to prevent spread of the disease.

 Isolation means separating people who are ill with symptoms of COVID-2019 to prevent infection to spread.

 Physical distancing means being physically apart. WHO recommends keeping at least 1-metre (around 3 feet) distance from others. This is a general measure that everyone should take even if they are well with no known exposure to COVID-2019

Four different phases:
Phase I – COVID-2019 traced among those people who are either foreigners or persons residing abroad.
Phase II – COVID-2019 traced among relatives and kin of victims. It also involves people who were in direct contact with the infected ones.
Phase III – Are among those people who avoided travel or any circumstances of firsthand contact with the infected person.
Phase IV – Pandemic

Impact of Covid 2019 in Nepal

The effect from COVID 2019 pandemic in Nepalese economy & financial dimension seem to be very dangerous & compensative than the Earthquake & Madhesh Andolan of 2012 & 2015 respectively. With the launch of visit Nepal 2020 campaign in January, the country was in hope to attract two millions of visitors, but due the corona pandemic the campaign got cancelled which has shattered the hospitality and tourism related business sector. With this the tourist arrival rate has declined to below 10 percent, from 70 percent before the Covid-2019 outbreak. Tourism sector, being one of the largest industries has been contributing 8 percent to Nepal’s economy. The outbreak has affected people’s lives as well as private and public sectors. Banks are suffering in loss of their investments in hospitality and aviation due to the corona virus tourist slump. Not only this, the impact has been also visible in the manufacturing industries. As most raw materials including pharmaceutical chemicals come from China, supply of these raw materials has decreased drastically. Foreign employment has not only been addressing the Nepal’s unemployment issues but has also been contributing significantly to the country’s economy in the form of remittance. The money that labor migrants sent back in 2019 contributed 26 percent to the country’s GDP.

Increase rate of the virus has impacted remittance inflow and government revenue collection as majority of the destination countries attractive for the outbound workers have announced a lockdown while the import has also started to decline as of late. In the current situation, corona virus’ effect on remittances is disastrous. In these few months the remittance source has been contributed less than 1percent in country’s economy. The downturn in remittance has created severe impact on overall consumption in the country. The wholesale and retail sector is the second largest contributor to the economy, after agriculture. The sector contributes 14.37 percent to the economy, which is already being affected by the drastic down fall in imports from China following the outbreak of the disease. While these are the prevailing state, looking ahead there is also a high risk of general inflation. In the situation of limited supply from China, Nepal may have to import from third countries, which results the products to become more costly. Nepalese trade and investment have taken a huge beating as the government has not received even a single foreign investment application in the last few weeks. Most of the foreign investment commitments were received from China.

Lesson to Nepal from COVID 2019
Every bad effect has some good effect. So, despite the horrific implications of COVID 2019 for Nepalese economy and health of its people, the corona virus outbreak should serve as a call for Nepalese government in upcoming days as an opportunity only if the government can learn some good lesson from COVID 2019. Some are presented below:-

• For the welfare of nation and its people Nepalese government should close open border and should start to manage special way or check post for travelling purpose from India to Nepal and vice-versa.
• In Nepal COVID 2019 is a greater threat to health as well as to the economy; it has a much more pervasive effect on agriculture as well. But these threats can be converted in an opportunity if government will make a self-dependent nation through the help of agriculture sector by supplying agriculture inputs i.e. fertilizers, quality seeds, pesticides along with some sorts of COVID-2019 aid for farmers on timely basis.
• Potential of hydropower in Nepal is huge, as Nepal is rich in water resources, so to improve the Nepalese economical sector government should also emphasis on hydro power by utilizing it properly in all over the nation as well as exporting it to other nation like India which helps to bring trade balance by uplifting economy of the nation.
• Government should increase investment opportunities in self employment by developing new plans & policies, & scope in small and medium scale industries & trade.

• Several students’ study abroad plans have either been shattered or delayed due to lockdown restrictions imposed in various countries across the globe leading to suspension of classes and visa processes due to the COVID-2019 situation. Now government should create favorable education environment to stop abroad study plans in order to make the students to join the university & college of their own nation for further study.
• COVID 2019 is not only the big health problem of Nepal, general health problems & diseases are also a problem which can be change into great problem if they are being ignored. So, government should emphasis towards community hospitals too to solve all health related problems.

 All the above problems can be solved easily if there is good support & governance from government. Beside these things other many problems are there which are to be learn and considered by the government to recover the nation from the bad impact of COVID 2019 by changing threats of Covid2019 into opportunities.

 

Sankalp Shakya

Program Director

Birgunj Public College, Birgunj