By Smriti Khadka/ Rajat Thapa Magar/Nepal

With the harmonious beat of traditional ensembles, music and cultural performances, our VISIT NEPAL 2020 was successfully inaugurated and by the time we could embrace all the 2020 attributes featuring the beautiful Nepal; nation had to call off this national campaign that aimed to draw 2 million foreign visitors. When our country was merely preparing to increase the arrivals of International tourists, it wasn’t surely prepared for the arrival of COVID-19.

Although our country, Nepal, was ready to develop the tourism industry for the country’s economy, there was not even a thing done to increase the health care facilities of the country, which are the basic necessities and every individual’s rights. Sad but it is what it is, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an un-replenishable crisis and we ought to say that the campaign of VISIT NEPAL 2020 has failed miserably. So now we neither have tourism to save the economy, nor do we have proper health care facilities to save our people.

Nepal itself is currently under lockdown beginning March 24th, and it’s been almost past 3 months that we are staying quarantined in our house. The pandemic hit Nepal when the crisis was already an old news all around the globe and maybe that is one absolute reason why we are still under pressure of infection and being the positive one.

It’s been nerve wrecking, bizarre and appalling being connected virtually to the world but in our own isolation. With all the Medias, social sites and internet providing all sorts of news, views, prognosis and predictions, people are learning how to live and survive in this world of escapades, uncertainties and anxieties. But the question is, by isolation and self-quarantine are we doing sufficiently enough? And for how long? Is 2020 going to be all about our small memories of self-isolation?

Being the witness of this massive pandemic we Nepalese are hit by the enormous hurricane of uncertainties regarding our safety and survival. And Nepal being an underdeveloped country, there is always a certain level of incompetence towards infrastructural development and what not better ways to observe it than now. Remembering back when Dr. Sundar Mani Dixit said in his podcast in March, “If you and I get the virus, we are doomed”. Even now after months, though testing has now been started, the situation hasn’t changed yet. The quarantine facilities all over Nepal are close to none, except in Kathmandu, which to believe for now, for our leader is the only city in Nepal. As per Ministry of Health and Population, there are only 600 ventilators in Nepal out of which 400 are concentrated in Kathmandu, whereas some of the sources has falsified the claim, opposing that there are only 360 ventilators out of which 260 are inside Kathmandu valley. So now, if you do some math then there is 1 ventilator per 114000 people, keeping in mind the low fatality rate of COVID-19, Nepal health system can only sustain little more over 7000 cases and out of which 350 cases should require ventilator support. So the odds of surviving the severe infection are lower in districts outside of Kathmandu valley. And ironically, numbers of infections are lot higher outside the valley and the quarantine facilities are worst. Seemingly this is a doomed situation and it is not getting any better.

And the problem doesn’t end here. Imagine if you are surviving within the comfort of your nation, with your family, friends, in your home then maybe to some point you will be relieved that at the very list you are with your people but what if that is not the case? There is no way those foreign states are going to equally prioritize the Nepalese over their own citizens be it the medical facilities, food or money. They are going to be on their own and that will be the most frightening situation where everything seems uncertain and lonely then. Situations like this when the yearning to return back to your motherland will be so big that you will be determined. The mass exodus from India is the most relatable case.

While their entering has certainly created outrage and conflicts with each increasing number of the positive cases, it is still at the end their only option of survival.

So what can be done? It is not just a work of single individual to better things up. Our county cannot afford health treatments like USA or China or India. Only with the staggered spread like now, can the health system sustain treatment and for the spread to minimize as much, there should the involvement of every individual. From the government side, true and clear information should be passed whether it is regarding the cases of infection, death, donations, medical supplies because we need to know what is actually going on so that we can be prepared. Everything should be systematized. At a time of crisis, we need a reassurance and guidance from our government. Lockdown does not have to be a complete isolation, people should be allowed to buy their goods and groceries at the least.

Social distancing should be maintained but that doesn’t have to stop us from doing our work with caution. Wear masks and gloves, use sanitizer, maintain social distance and proper hygiene because if this pandemic is not going to end sooner, we need to learn to cope with it. The time demands patience and we should not lose it.

It is the time to think of replicating the mindset of self-reflection and realization of what we have created throughout this time, to gather all the positive aspects of lockdown, and to be prepared for the aftermath anytime now.

Work from home and stay quarantined might look like only option now but for how long? Slowly the entire sustainability of the nation is going to come down crashing. There will shortage of food, very soon and there is no way government should still have the false hope of getting support from India and China until the end.

We need to actively involve people because now is the best time to raise our agricultural sector. The educated people can do a better job working from home but government needs to utilize those workers who are not skilled and educated and have a hard time earning their life. Today, the street dwellers are going to be the first ones to die because they are the one who are lacking education and awareness and what more best ways than to use them for something fruitful and rightful. When everybody works their part we might be able to battle this crisis easily. There should be a gradual progress in regulating our normal lifestyle. Koreans have started giving their university exams inside a soccer field maintaining social distance, similarly Singapore started their circuit breaker guidelines for better social distancing. So there is a lot of examples to learn from and right now, Nepal needs to take suitable measures too.

We live in the world where uncertain anxieties rule. Although this is not a very right time enjoying the life to its fullest, we don’t have to live in misery.

How the Darwinian evolutionary theory of ‘Survival of the fittest’ prove to be the most important concepts of biological history, we too need to adapt that now for our survival and we need to survive against the virus and outcast it. Visit Nepal campaign seems like a dream now but we have to live today so we can continue this tomorrow during our better days.

To all the Nepalese who are currently in homeland and all the remaining ones who have been living without proper papers and rights in different parts of the world, it is the hope that should not extinguish from our lives until the last moment. Because with hope comes desire, desire to live and desire to overcome any crisis leading a positivity and passion for living. Because we all are fighting together this time.

#The author(s) of this article are Ms. Smriti Khadka and, Rajat Thapa Magar and are the students of St. Xavier’s College, Maiti Ghar, Kathmandu. Both are studying B. Sc. Microbiology: Editor.