The first case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed in Nepal on 24 January 2020 in Kathmandu. The patient showed mild symptoms and had been discharged a week earlier with instructions to self-quarantine at home; he was subsequently confirmed to have completely recovered. Between January and March, Nepal took steps to prevent a widespread outbreak of the disease, while preparing for it by procuring essential supplies, equipment and medicine, upgrading health infrastructure, training medical personnel, and spreading public awareness. The second case was confirmed on 23 March 2020 in Kathmandu. As of 3May2020[update], 73 additional cases have been confirmed; affecting 14 Districts in six Provinces. The first case of local transmission was confirmed on 4 April in Kailali. Sixteen patients have been confirmed recovered. A country-wide lockdown came into effect on 24 March, and is scheduled to end on 7 May.
Nepal established health-desks at the international airport as well as on border checkpoints with India, starting in mid-January. Land borders with India as well as China were later completely sealed off, and all international flights suspended. All academic examinations were cancelled, and schools and colleges were closed. Quarantine centres and temporary hospitals are being setup across the country. Laboratory facilities are being upgraded and expanded. Hospitals have been setting up ICU units and isolation beds. The SAARC countries have pledged to cooperate in controlling the disease in the region. India, the United States and Germany have increased their support to Nepali health sector.
Nepal cancelled its international promotional activities related to Visit Nepal Year 2020. Its economy is expected to be severely affected by the pandemic due its impact on foreign employment, tourism, manufacturing, construction and trade.[1] There have been more cases among Nepalese abroad than at home, with 2,000 confirmed cases globally, and dozens of deaths.
Background
Video summary (script) on the coronavirus disease.
Awareness video on prevention of COVID-19 from the United Nations (in Nepali)
Nepal is a landlocked country with China in the northern side and India in the east, west and south. Nepal shares a 1,414 kilometres (879mi) border with China's autonomous region of Tibet, in the Himalayas.[25] China is Nepal's second-largest trading partner.[26] Nepal has an 1,800-km open border with India in the east, west and south. Nepal lies in South Asia, one of the least developed and most densely populated world regions, that performs poorly in education as well as health care and sanitation metrics. As such, Nepal was considered one of the highest risk areas for the pandemic, and also one of the least prepared.[27][28][29][30][31] However, WHO later re-classified Nepal to less at risk from its initial classification as "Very Vulnerable".[32]
According to The Kathmandu Post, before the pandemic, hospitals in Nepal had few ICU beds (just three in Teku Hospital) which were almost always occupied, with people in critical condition usually having to wait for the beds to become empty. It reported doctors as saying that it would be next to impossible to admit new patients to ICU as soon as they need them.[33] Teku Hospital, the only one designated for handling infectious diseases, had built an isolation ward during the avian influenza outbreak a decade ago, but had never brought it into use, as it did not have experts to evaluate or maintain the required standards.[34]
As news of a new infectious disease in China broke, concerns were raised in Nepal over the high potential risk, the need to implement preventive measures and a severe lack of necessary medical equipment and infrastructure. According to Baburam Marasini, former director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Nepal lacked double-cab ambulances to transport highly infectious patients safely, isolation wards in hospitals, or biosafety level-3 or better laboratories needed to test for highly infectious diseases.[29]
As of 3 May 2020, Nepal has confirmed 75 cases of COVID-19 disease. The first case was confirmed on 24 January in a 32-year-old man who had recently returned from China.[35] The patient had shown mild symptoms, and was completely cured by the end of January.[36] The second case was confirmed on 23 March in a 19-year-old woman who had recently returned from France via Qatar.[37] She is being treated in Teku hospital, Kathmandu. Her family has been put in quarantine at home.[38] The third case was confirmed on 25 March, in a person who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.[39] The fourth case, the first outside Kathmandu, was confirmed on 27 March, in a 34-year-old man who had recently returned from the Middle East. He is being treated in Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi.[40] The fifth case was confirmed in Baglung on 28 March, in a 19-year-old woman who had returned from Belgium via Qatar. She had shared a flight from Doha to Kathmandu with the patient who was confirmed on 23 March.[41] The sixth case was confirmed on 2 April in a woman from Baglung.[42] Three new cases were confirmed on 4 April, two of them were men who had recently returned from India and one was a 34-year woman, a relative of one of the previously confirmed patients. She was also the first instance of local transmission within Nepal.[43] On 11 April, three more cases were confirmed, in Indian nationals who had been stranded in Birgunj of Parsa District.[44] On 13 April, a 65-year-old woman from Kailali and a 19-year-old man from Rautahat tested positive.[45] On 14 April, two new cases were confirmed in a family from Kathmandu which had returned from the United Kingdom four weeks prior. On 17 April, 14 new cases were confirmed, 12 of them, Indian nationals from Delhi, quarantined in Udaypur, and two, Nepalis from Chitwan who had recently returned from abroad, taking the total number of cases to 30.[46] On 18 April, a second complete recovery was confirmed in Kathmandu, bringing the total number of active cases to 28.[47]
Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital is the designated primary hospital for the treatment of COVID-19; isolation wards, makeshift hospitals and quarantine centres have been established throughout the country. Nepal Public Health Laboratory in Kathmandu was the only laboratory capable of testing for the disease as of 15March2020[update]; laboratory capabilities were later expanded to other major cities.
Nepalis abroad
COVID-19 cases in Nepalis abroad
Country/Territory
Cases
Deaths
Australia
11
0
Bahrain
49
0
Germany
4
0
Hong Kong
2
0
Japan
2
1
Kuwait
42
0
Malaysia
1
0
Myanmar
1
0
Portugal
27
0
Saudi Arabia
4
0
New Zealand
1
0
Cyprus
1
0
Spain
12
0
Belgium
6
0
Switzerland
5
0
Netherlands
1
1
Ireland
22
1
Turkey
1
1
Canada
3
0
France
1
0
Malta
1
0
United Arab Emirates
81
2
United Kingdom
700
33
United States
1000
10
Total
1978
49
According to data compiled by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), published on 26 April by The Himalayan Times, 49 Nepalis abroad have died from the disease—33 in the United Kingdom, 10 in the United States, two in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Ireland, Japan, Turkey and the Netherlands. Around 2,000 Nepalis in 24 countries have tested positive—1,000 of them in the United States, and 700 in the United Kingdom.[48]
Timeline
January
A 31-year-old student of Wuhan University who had returned home on 5 January,[49] was admitted with mild symptoms on 13 January and discharged on 17 January with instructions to self-quarantine at home after preliminary tests showed he may not be infected.[50] Although Nepal had the laboratories and the skilled manpower to test for the disease, Nepal did not have the reagents required. The reagents cost around Rs 17,000 per test and need to be bought in bulk, sufficient for about 200 tests. As there were no other suspected cases needing testing, the officials decided to send the samples to Hong Kong instead of buying the reagents.[51] The samples were sent to Hong Kong on 21 January.[52] On 24 January, the Health ministry confirmed that the test had come back positive. The ministry said the patient was under surveillance, those who came into close contact with him were being investigated, and health information on all passengers returning from China was being sought.[53] However, The Kathmandu Post quoted officials at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division as saying that no one knew of the patient's activity since he was discharged and that they were looking for him.[54] Later, they said that they had only spoken to the patient on phone; he had reported being in good health and was not asked to come in for check-up or monitoring.[55] The patient was confirmed completely treated when RT-PCR throat swabs returned negative for COVID-19 in followup assessments of 29 and 31 January.[36][56] None of the people known to have come in contact with the patient showed any symptoms after three weeks of the patient's return to Nepal, and it was therefore presumed that he had not transmitted the disease to anyone else in Nepal.[34]
On 17 January, urged by the WHO, Nepal began screening passengers arriving in Tribhuvan International Airport from China, Thailand and Japan, the three countries with multiple confirmed cases.[57] Eight persons manned the health desk. The airport did not have infrared scanners and was therefore using thermal scanners as preparations were being made to install the infrared ones. The passengers who showed fever were being asked to remain in contact and contact the hospitals if they showed additional symptoms.[58]
On 23 January, Dr. Bashudev Pandey, director of Teku Hospital, was quoted as saying that the hospital was on high alert, while three other hospitals – Nepal Police Hospital, Patan Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital – would also treat the disease.[59] Six beds in Teku Hospital had been allocated for isolation of suspected patients.[58]
On 25 January, a day after the first case was confirmed, the Health Ministry informed that two other suspected patients were in isolation at Teku Hospital.[34] The hospital discharged them in the morning of 27 January without waiting for test results even though the results were due later that same day, raising concerns over its handling of the crisis. The tests which confirmed a negative result for both patients were conducted at the bio-safety level-2 labs of the National Public Health Laboratory, the first such tests to be performed in Nepal. Reagents sufficient for 100 tests were borrowed from the Centre for Molecular Dynamics and test kits were provided by the World Health Organisation.[60] A woman was in isolation awaiting test results as of 27 January.[61]
On 28 January, Nepal closed down the Rasuwagadhi border with China, bringing Nepal-China trade to a complete halt.[62] Bordering districts of India were reported to be in high alert, and medical personnel had been deployed to various entry points along the Indo-Nepal border.[63]
February
By the first week of February, Nepal reported a shortage of face masks, as people hurried to buy them following reports of the first confirmed case.[64] Districts bordering India began setting up health desks at border crossings.[65][66] The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division reported that it had devised its own treatment protocol based on the one developed by UN Health Agency and directed all private hospitals to strictly follow the guidelines in handling any suspected new cases.[34] By 1 February, Teku Hospital had handled five suspected cases all of whom tested negative.[67] On 4 February, the Minister for Health informed that three hospitals had been made capable of testing for the virus, and 43 beds had been made available for patients of the possible outbreak. He also informed that health desks had been setup in Pokhara, Chitwan and Bhairahawa.[68] On 5 February, Nepal donated 100,000 protective masks to China as a gesture of friendship.[69]
A village in Sindhupalchok District reported hundreds of cases with fever, cough and difficulty breathing, starting on 10 February.[70] On 12 February, the district ruled out the possibility that it could be COVID-19 based on travel history of people in the village.[71][72] Laboratory testing later confirmed that the outbreak was influenza.[73]
As of 13 February, Nepal had conducted tests on 19 suspected patients. The health ministry said it would start using police to guard suspected patients after a Saudi national admitted to Teku Hospital fled from isolation.[74]
Nepal evacuated 175, mostly students, who had been stranded across Hubei,[75] on 16 February 2020, using a Nepal Airlines chartered aeroplane[76] and placed them in a 14-day quarantine at Kharipati in Bhaktapur. Six other Nepalis were prevented from leaving by the Chinese government, while four of the applicants who had requested rescue later changed their minds. Although 180 Nepalis had applied for immediate evacuation from China by 2 February; the effort took almost two weeks, as the government struggled to meet WHO's evacuation standards, and find a suitable venue for quarantine. The government was criticised for its slow response; a Public interest litigation was filed at the Supreme Court demanding immediate action,[77] while the locals around the designated quarantine site in Bhaktapur protested the government's decision which the viewed as endangering to the local community.[78][79][80][81] On 19 February, the Health Ministry reported that all of the evacuees had tested negative.[82][83]
On 18 February, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal criticised The Kathmandu Post for republishing a Korea Herald piece critical of China's handling of the pandemic, accusing editor-in-chief Anup Kaphle of anti-China bias. In response, 17 editors from Nepalese mainstream press released a joint statement expressing concern about the singling out of the editor, and reminding the Chinese Embassy of diplomatic norms and constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the Press in Nepal; The Kathmandu Post published an editorial criticising the Embassy's actions. The Chinese embassy's actions were seen as uncharacteristic and surprising as China is known for non-interference in Nepal's internal matters.[84][85][86]
By the end of February, the health desk at Tribhuvan International Airport was screening passengers from China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Saudi Arabia, but did not have sufficient manpower and equipment to screen all new arrivals. A total of six infrared scanners had been setup; the only thermal scanner had yet to be repaired, but plans were underway to purchase three more.[87] Passengers were not being asked to fill locator forms that would make it possible to track them down later.[88] It was also reported that the government was seeking help from the UN having failed to procure masks and protective gear due to global shortages.[89] On 29 February, the government formed a high level committee to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokhrel.[87] The government also decided to suspend promotional activities for Visit Nepal 2020.[90] Nepal suspended labour migration to South Korea.[91] India started screening passengers from Nepal and making masks compulsory for all visiting Nepalis.[89] It was also screening Nepalis travelling into India by land, at various checkpoints at the border.[92]
March
1 March: Nepal announced suspension of visa-on-arrival service for nationals of five countries badly affected by COVID-19 – China, South Korea, Japan,Italy and Iran – to be enforced from 7 to 30 March.[lower-alpha 1][94][95][96] It also urged the general public to avoid large gatherings.[90] The passengers and crew involved in the evacuation of Nepalis from Hubei were released from quarantine after all tests again came back negative following a two-week quarantine.[96]
2 March: The Supreme Court issued an interim order to suspend flights to and from countries affected by the disease, in response to a public interest litigation. The government issued a travel advisory against non-essential travel to countries hardest hit by the disease, including China, Iran, South Korea, Japan and Italy.[93] The visitors coming from or via these countries would be required to submit a health certificate. Health checkpoints were to be established at all major entry points from India and third country citizens would be allowed to cross from select border check-points only. The Sagarmatha Sambad programme scheduled for April was also postponed.[93]
4–5 March: Due to a severe shortage of face-masks and protective gear as well as increase in price following a ban on export in China and India, some hospitals were reported to be sewing plain clothes masks as a precaution.[97] A shortage of hand sanitisers was also reported.[98]Everest Premier League, the domestic T20 cricket tournament was postponed indefinitely.[99]
8 March: Qatar imposed a temporary ban on arrivals from Nepal and other countries, affecting almost 40,000 labour migrants with valid work permits who were yet to leave.[100] Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines suspended their flights to Doha indefinitely following the ban.[101]
9 March: The government expanded the suspension of visa-on-arrival service to include three additional countries — France, Germany and Spain.[102]
10 March: Seventy one Chinese workers employed in the construction of Pokhara Airport who had returned from China after undergoing a 14-day quarantine were put into quarantine for another 14 days. They were being closely monitored and everyone was reported to be in normal health. Previously, 36 Chinese workers working for the project had also gone through a similar quarantine upon return to work.[103]
12–15 March: Nepal decided to suspend on-arrival tourist visa for all countries, with an exception to diplomatic and official visas, to last from 14 March till 30 April. The government closed land border entry points for third country nationals, and cancelled all mountain climbing expeditions including on Mount Everest, to be enforced from 14 March to 30 April. It also declared two-week mandatory self- and home-quarantines for everyone visiting Nepal.[104][105] Labour permits for all countries were suspended indefinitely, including to workers who were only back home on holiday. The government also suspended issuance of no objection letters to students going for abroad study until 30 April.[106] The Province No. 1 government unveiled plans for two quarantine sites in the province, including one on a Koshi River island. It also assured plans were underway to provide additional equipment to health personnel, to set up health desks on border-crossings with India, to keep ambulances in standby and to maintain isolation wards in three major hospitals – BP Koirala Institute Of Health Science in Dharan, Koshi Hospital in Biratnagar and Mechi Hospital in Jhapa.[107][108] BP Koirala Institute of Health sciences in Dharan reported that a suspected patient had refused to remain in hospital and returned home. He had promised to return the following day for testing.[109] The same day, Bihar transport department suspended Patna-Nepal bus services with immediate effect, to be enforced until 31 March, in an effort to contain the virus, after many cases emerged throughout India.[110] India declared a suspension of all passenger movement through Indo-Nepal border, except a few designated checkpoints – Banbasa, Raxaul, Ranigunj and Sunauli[111] – with intensified health inspections, effective from 15 March.[112] The land-border checkpoints with China began releasing imported goods following quarantine procedures as cases in China began to drop.[113] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed starting the COVID-19 Emergency Fund for the SAARC region; he also said India could share a Disease Surveillance Software with SAARC partners, and hinted at the possibility of conducting coordinated research on controlling epidemic diseases in the SAARC region.[114]
17 March: A meeting of the high-level coordination committee for prevention and control of COVID-19 decided to add 115 ICU and 1,000 isolation beds in the Kathmandu Valley. It also instructed the provincial governments to setup a total of 120 ICU beds.[115]
18–19 March: The government declared suspension of all classes[116] and postponement of all academic examinations including the Secondary Education Examination until 12 April, the end of the Month of Chaitra, the last month of Nepali calendar year when all schools hold the final examinations.[117] Tribhuvan University and the Public Service Commission also postponed all their examinations.[118] The government banned all passengers, including Nepalis, from EU and the UK, West Asia and the Middle East as well as Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, effective from 20 March until 15 April. It also decided to shut down all cinema halls, gymnasiums, museums and cultural centres, and ban gathering of more than 25 people in any public spaces including at places of worship.[119] Nepal began to see a significant influx of people from India to Nepal as India saw increase in new cases throughout the country.[120] A noticeable outflux of people from the Kathmandu Valley was reported.[121] The House of Representatives meeting was postponed until 26 March.[122] The Province No. 1 government established quarantine centres throughout the province with a total capacity of 440 beds.[123]
20 March: The National Assembly was suspended indefinitely.[124] The Health Ministry instructed public employees to report on weekends as well, and not leave the Kathmandu Valley.[125] All weekly newspapers published from the Kathmandu Valley ceased their print editions.[126] The US government pledged $1.8million to Nepal.[127] Prime Minister Oli addressed the nation for the first time since the start of the pandemic and announced a list of preventative measures. All international flights would be stopped from 22 March to 31 March and vehicular movement on long routes would be closed from 23 March. All government services and private offices except those providing essential services would be closed until 3 April.[128][129] A notice from Nepal Tourism Board announced the suspension of issuance of trekking permits for tourists.[130] The outflux of people from the Kathmandu Valley intensified; almost 300,000 people had left in the preceding three days.[131] The Health Ministry decided to halt non-urgent health check-ups and surgeries until 12 April in hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley with 50 or more beds.[132] A full bench meeting of the Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice decided to halt all non-urgent proceedings in courts across the country until 4 April.[133][134] Nepal government pledged Rs 100 Million to the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund.[135]
21 March: Kathmandu city launched a central help desk and a toll-free 24-hour hotline.[136] Germany pledged an additional one million Euros to its existing health programmes in Nepal to help combat the disease.[137] Around sixty passengers from COVID-19 affected countries that landed on Tribhuvan International Airport were sent to quarantine at Kharipati, Bhaktapur; they had not presented any symptoms.[138] It was reported that Gandaki Province had set up 111 isolation beds.[139] The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division suspended breathalyser tests as well as educational classes for drivers found breaking traffic rules.[140] It also deployed 200 of its personnel to display placards with awareness messages about the disease by the roadside.[141]Nepal Police established coronavirus response units in all its stations and decided not to make arrests for minor offences.[142] The Health Ministry informed that private hospitals with more than 100 beds would not be allowed to refer patients to other hospitals; they were required to treat suspected patients, wait for test results and provide free treatment if the disease were confirmed.[143]
22 March: Nepal decided to close its land border with India and China for a week effective from 23 March. The government also declared a Rs 500 million fund with contributions of a month's salary from government ministers.[144] It also increased the allowances for health workers working at the front desks of hospitals by 50–100%.[145]Kanchanpur and Banke Districts declared lockdowns.[146]
23 March: COVID-19 was confirmed in a 19-year-old woman who had returned from France on 17 March via Qatar, the first case in two months, second overall. She was admitted into isolation at Teku Hospital. Her family is said to be in quarantine at home.[147] The Office of the attorney General was reported to have asked the Police to release people held for minor crimes under bail or parole to reduce crowding.[148] The Minister of Health declared that all patients of COVID-19 would be rescued as necessary and provided free treatment.[149]Kailali District was reported to have declared an indefinite lock-down effective from 2pm.[150]Arghakhanchi District also declared an indefinite lock-down.[151]
24 March: The country-wide lockdown came into effect.[152]
25 March: The third case in Kathmandu was confirmed. The patient had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates and was staying in a hotel in Kathmandu. They are being treated in Teku Hospital.[153]
26 March: Rescue of tourists stranded throughout Nepal was initiated.[154] By 28 March, hundreds of tourists had been rescued and brought to Kathmandu; many were being repatriated via chartered flights.[155]
27 March: Fourth case nationally, the first outside Kathmandu, was confirmed. It involved a 34-year-old man who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates. He is being treated at Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi.[152]
28 March: A 19-year-old woman who had recently travelled to Kathmandu from Belgium via Doha tested positive, bringing the total to five in the country. She had shared a flight from Doha with the patient who was confirmed on 23 March. She had since travelled to her home in Baglung; she was admitted for treatment at Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital after the test came back positive.[156][157]
29 March: The government decided to extend the suspension of international flights to until 15 April. The country-wide lockdown was extended to until 8 April.[158]
April
2 April: A 65-year-old woman who recently travelled to Kathmandu from Belgium who accompanied the 19-year-old woman on 17 March tested positive bringing the total to six in the country. Health minister confirmed that she was staying at her home in Baglung.[159][160]
4 April: Three new positive cases were confirmed in the far-western region of Nepal. Among the three are a 21-year-old male of Kailali who had returned from Mumbai in India, 41-year-old male of Kanchanpur who had returned from Uttarakhand in India, and a 34-year-old female from Kailali who is known be a relative of one of the earlier infected persons.[161] This is the first local transmission in Nepal.[162] Four Nepalese died in New York [163]
11 April: Three Indian nationals residing in Parsa District tested positive.[44]
13 April: A 65-year-old woman from Kailali and a 19-year-old man from Rautahat tested positive for the disease.[45]
14 April: Two members of a family in Kathmandu which had returned from the United Kingdom four weeks earlier tested positive for the disease.[46] The countrywide lockdown was extended until 27 April, citing an increase in the number of new cases. The border closures and suspension of international flights were extended until 1 May.[164]
17 April: 12 Indian nationals from Delhi who had been quarantined in Udayapur District of Province No. 1 tested positive. They were admitted in COVID 19 Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal[165] Two UK returnees, a mother and her son from Chitwan district in Bagmati Pradesh, also tested positive on the same day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 30.[166]
18 April: One more Indian National aged 65 years old tested positive today for corona virus. He was one of 16 people who was quarantined in Udayapur District where 12 people tested positive the day before. [167] The second coronavirus patient, hospitalised since 23 March, was confirmed completely recovered[168] and a 65 years old woman from Baglung District who tested positive on 2 April 2020 recovered today and discharged from Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital.[169]
19 April: A 21 years old guy undergoing treatment at the Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi has been recovered and the patient has been discharged today.[170] The patient was admitted to the hospital on 4 April 2020.
21 April: 11 more people in Udayapur District (Province No. 1) has conformed positive for covid-19.[171] The 34 years old man from Dhangadhi who was admitted in Seti Hospital on 27 March confirmed recovered and has been discharged from hospital.[172]
22 April: 3+3, total 6 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Udayapur District (Province No. 1) where earlier many cases of covid was confirmed.[173][174] The 41 years old male who was admitted to Seti hospital on April 4 discharged and the 32 years old male admitted to Teku hospital on March 25 also discharged.[175] With this, the number of recoveries reached seven and the number of active cases 38.[47]
23 April: 2 new cases of coronavirus was confirmed. One woman aged 55-year-old woman in Udayapur district and 14-year-old male from Janakpur has been detected with the virus, bringing the total number of active cases to 47.[176] Two persons admitted in Teku hospital were discharged and a 65 years old female discharged from Dhangadhi[177] bringing the total recoveries to ten.[178]
26 April: Two new cases was confirmed. Two men, both aged 50 years old from Parsa district are being treated at the Narayani hospital in Birgjunj, bringing the total tally to 51.[179]
28 April: Two new cases was confirmed. Two youths, aged 24 and 21 years old from Rautahat district, who are being treated at Narayani hospital in Birgunj. [180]
29 April: Three new COVID-19 cases identified in Birgunj taking total cases to 57. A 46-year-old male from Parsa has been detected with the virus. Likewise, two other males aged 31 and 43 years from Bara district have contracted the coronavirus disease, confirmed the Ministry of Health and Population. It has been learnt that they had returned to from Delhi in India. [181]
May
May 1: Two new cases were reported. Reported cases were a 60-year-old male from Nepalgunj and a 25-year-old male from Rupandehi. [182]
May 3: Sixteen new cases were reported, fifteen in Nepalgunj and one in Birgunj, taking the total number of confirmed cases nationwide to 75.[183]
Impact and response
The tourism sector has been reported to be suffering due to the absence of Chinese tourists, as well as the various travel restrictions imposed on travel globally. Manufacturing sector is experiencing a shortage of raw materials, most of which used to come from China. The situation is exacerbated by spread of the pandemic to the Middle-east which is the main source of remittance that makes up more than half of Nepal's GDP. Remittances were expected to sharply drop after Nepal suspended issuance of workers permit to Nepalis for all countries.[184] The wholesale and retail sector has also been affected due to fall of imports from China. The construction sector which imports most of its building materials from China has slowed down. As the Chinese contractors and workers who went home for the Chinese new year could not return, the public construction projects have also been affected.[185][186][187] The domestic airlines were reported to be struggling for survival as ticket prices dropped to half or a third of normal following a sharp decline in demand.[188] Number of international flights to and from Nepal had decreased by more than 50% by 13 March.[189] Nepal's import-dependent economy is also vulnerable to depreciation of Indian currency to which its currency is permanently pegged, as Indian economy suffers the impact of the pandemic.[190] 20,000 tour, trek and mountaineering guides lost their livelihood when mountaineering was suspended.[191][192]
The annual Holi celebrations, which fell on 9 and 10 March in 2020 saw decreased activities, low business and cancellation of organised celebrations.[193]
Nepal had declared 2020 as the Visit Nepal Year and aimed to bring in two million foreign tourists, almost double the figure from previous year. As the pandemic spread and Nepal had to suspend air travel to and from China, the biggest source of international tourists arriving by air, Nepal suspended its promotional campaigns.[194]
The temporary blanket ban on animal markets imposed by China as a response to the pandemic is expected to curb wildlife poaching and trafficking through Nepal, as the Chinese traditional medicine which uses various body parts of endangered animals as its ingredients has been the biggest challenge to wildlife conservation in the region.[195]
Market regulation
The department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection conducted raids on 161 firms and fined 57 of them, a total of around four million Rupees in the month of Falgun (February–March).[196] It inspected multiple pharmacies and surgical shops in Kathmandu on 5 March and fined a total of Rs 430,000 for hiking prices and other offences.[197] On 10 March, four pharmacies were fined a total of Rs 800,000 after they were caught charging 1000% of normal price for surgical masks. Some groceries and LPG stores were also inspected. One million units of face masks were confiscated from a warehouse in Kathmandu and the owner arrested on 18 March, bringing the total of masks confiscated in the week past to 2.3million. Around 50,000 units of hand-sanitisers were also confiscated from the black market. Around two dozen black marketeers had been arrested.[198] As the outflux of people from Kathmandu intensified, 23 transport entrepreneurs and workers were arrested on 20 March for overcharging the passengers.[199]
Essential drugs
Nepal's pharmaceutical industry has been impacted due to lack of raw materials as a number of essential ingredients were previously imported from Hubei.[185] Nepal faced the prospect of a potential shortage of essential medicines when India imposed restrictions on export of 26 types of raw materials including of essential medicine citing disruption in the supply chain from Hubei; however India later agreed to relax restrictions in case of Nepal, and asked the Nepalese government to provide a list of names and quantities of essential medicines that it needed to supply to Nepal.[200]
Misinformation
On 21 March a 20-year-old man was arrested on charges of spreading misinformation online through an unregistered fake news website and causing public fear, after audio tapes alleging cover-up of COVID-19 cases were found circulating online.[201] The same day, Nepal Army dispelled rumours circulating in social media that claimed Army helicopters were being used to spray disinfectants over settlements at midnight.[202]
Poaching
Poachers in Nepal took advantage of slack monitoring and sparse public movement during the COVID-19 lockdown and the country saw a surge in killing of wildlife under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.[203]
Notes
↑ The implementation date was later reported to be 10 March.[93]
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The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread to the Philippines on January 30, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed in Metro Manila. It involved a 38-year-old Chinese woman who was confined in the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. The second case was confirmed on February 2, that of a 44-year-old Chinese man who died a day earlier, which was also the first confirmed death from the disease outside mainland China. The first case of someone without travel history abroad was confirmed on March 5, a 62-year-old male who frequented a Muslim prayer hall in San Juan, Metro Manila, raising suspicions that a community transmission of COVID-19 is already underway in the Philippines. The man's wife was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on March 7, which was also the first local transmission to be confirmed.
The presence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Malaysia, part of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, was first reported in January 2020 when it was detected on travellers from China arriving via Singapore on 25 January, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hubei, China. Reported cases remained relatively low and were largely confined to imported cases, until localised clusters began to emerge in March; the largest cluster was linked to a Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering held in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur in late February and early March, leading to massive spikes in local cases and an exportation of cases to neighbouring countries. Within a few weeks, Malaysia had recorded the largest cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Southeast Asia, breaching over the 2,000 mark in active cases by the end of March from fewer than 30 at the start of the month. By 16 March, the virus is reported in every state and federal territory in the country.
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread to Vietnam on 23 January 2020, when its first known case of COVID-19 was reported. As of 3 May 2020 the country had 271 confirmed cases, 219 recoveries, and no deaths. More than 261,000 tests have been performed. Hanoi is currently the most-affected city with 112 confirmed cases.
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread to South Korea on 20 January 2020, when the first case was announced. The number of confirmed cases increased on 19 February by 20, and on 20 February by 58 or 70, giving a total of 346 confirmed cases on 21 February 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Korea (KCDC), with the sudden jump mostly attributed to "Patient 31" who participated in a gathering at a Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony church in Daegu.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic began in Asia in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has spread widely through the continent. As of 2 May 2020, at least one case of COVID-19 had been reported in every country in Asia except North Korea and Turkmenistan.
The first confirmed case of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United Arab Emirates was announced on 29 January 2020. It was the first country in the Middle East to report a confirmed case. The first patient, a 73-year-old Chinese woman, was released on 9 February after recovering. The first two deaths were confirmed on March 20. On 22 March, Dubai started an 11-day sterilisation campaign as an effort to contain the coronavirus. Night curfew was imposed 4 days later while the country began disinfection. School closure was first announced on March 8 for 4 weeks. 3 weeks later, it was announced that school will be closed until the end of the academic year.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Bahrain in February 2020.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Iceland in February 2020. As of 2 May 2020, the total number of cases registered is 1,799, of which 1,717 have recovered and 10 have died. With a total population of 366,130, the infection rate is 1 case per 204 inhabitants, one of the highest in the world, though this is attributed to more tests have been carried out per capita in Iceland than any other country; these include a screening of the general population run by Icelandic biotech company deCODE genetics to determine the true spread of the virus in the community.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Sri Lanka is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of 3 May 2020, 707 confirmed cases have been reported in the country with 7 deaths. On 3 March 2020, the first reported case involving a Sri Lankan origin outside Sri Lanka was reported in Italy. As of 23 March, forty-five quarantine centers have been built in the country by the Sri Lanka Army as a preventive measure to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 3,500 people have been under quarantine in 45 quarantine centers which also include 31 foreigners from 14 countries.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached the Republic of Moldova on 7 March 2020, when a Moldovan woman that returned from Italy was tested positive for the novel coronavirus. As the number of infected people started to rise during the next days, on 17 March the Parliament declared the state of emergency for the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova for a period of 60 days. On 18 March the first death caused by COVID-19 was registered. On 23 March the total number of confirmed cases surpassed 100 and on 7 April this number exceeded 1000 cases. By 10 April, cases had been confirmed in all the regions of the country, including the Transnistrian region. On 27 April, the total number of deaths surpassed 100. Until 2 May 2020, there have been registered 4052 confirmed cases in the Republic of Moldova, out of which 1334 patients recovered and 124 died.
During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, the first COVID-19 case in Malta was an Italian 12-year-old girl on 7 March 2020. The girl and her family were in isolation, as required by those following the Maltese health authority's guidelines who were in Italy or other highly infected countries. Later, both her parents were found positive as well. As of 1 May 2020, Malta has reported 477 confirmed cases, 392 recoveries and 4 deaths; 81 cases remain active.
The first case of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Qatar was confirmed on 27 February 2020. As of May 2, Qatar has the 2nd highest number of confirmed cases in the Arab World at 14,872. The total recoveries stand at 1,534, with 12 deaths.
The first case of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in Cambodia on 27 January 2020. According to Global Health Security Index's report in 2019, Cambodia ranked 89th out of 195 countries in preparedness for infectious disease outbreak.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to the Maldives on 7 March 2020 from an Italian tourist who had returned to Italy after spending holidays in Kuredu Resort & Spa. The Health Protection Agency of the Maldives confirmed two cases in the Maldives, both employees of the resort. Following this, the hotel was locked down with several tourists stranded on the island. As of 11 March, the islands resorts of Kuredu, Vilamendhoo, Batalaa and Kuramathi island have also been placed under temporary quarantine. Schools have been closed as a precaution.
Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, named after Shukraraj Shastri, commonly known as Teku Hospital, is a public hospital in Teku, Kathmandu. It is the only hospital in Nepal especially designated for the treatment of tropical and infectious diseases. The hospital was established in 1933. It has a 100-bed inpatient service. It has three ICU beds and six cabin beds. It is a national referral hospital which takes in patients referred from all over the country. It also provides training to medical students. Dr. Basudev Pandey is the current director of the hospital.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Bhutan in March 2020.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Myanmar is part of the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Myanmar confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19 on 23 March 2020. On 31 March 2020, the Committee for Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19), headed by First Vice President Myint Swe and made up of members from the various union ministries, was formed by President Win Myint, to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Montserrat is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat on 17 March 2020.. The first death occurred on 24 April 2020.
Countries and territories in South Asia have been affected by the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Tajikistan when its index cases, in Dushanbe and Khujand, were confirmed on 30 April 2020.
↑ Velavan, T. P.; Meyer, C. G. (March 2020). "The COVID-19 epidemic". Tropical Medicine & International Health. n/a (n/a): 278–80. doi:10.1111/tmi.13383. PMID32052514.
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