KATHMANDU, June 12: It’s already been 81 days since the government enforced a nationwide lockdown on March 24 earlier this year in a bid to check coronavirus spread.
A Cabinet meeting earlier on Wednesday evening decided to ease the lockdown measures from Thursday in a bid to gradually resume economic activities.
The government decided to allow the operation of businesses, industries and private vehicles in the districts that have recorded fewer cases of COVID-19. Health services, transportation and sale of medicines, foodstuff and beverages, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and meat, drinking water, and petroleum products are allowed to operate.
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Similarly, waste management, electricity, fire brigade, ambulance, information and communication and postal services along with banks and financial institutions, cooperatives and insurance services have resumed their services as per the new order issued to relax the lockdown.
All agricultural and livestock-related activities and services related to seeds, fertilizers, agricultural tools and cold storage, manufacturing and construction industries, development projects and business-related to excavation, collection, transportation and sale of river products, minerals are allowed to resume to be effective from Thursday.
Moreover, other activities ranging from all types of construction works and take-away food services of restaurants to sales and maintenance of electric items and cargo services are open now.
Hotels designated as quarantine facilities, workshops repairing electronic devices, machinery items and vehicles, stationery shops, all offices providing emergency services are among those which can operate their services. Government and private offices are also allowed to resume their operation with less than 50 percent attendance of their staff.
With the government easing the lockdown, shops in Kathmandu are open. There are suddenly more vehicles on the streets. Places like Tripureshwar, Thapathali, Baneshwar and Jamal reported heavy traffic. As a part of loosening the lockdown, the government has also introduced an odd-even modality for vehicular movement. Vehicles with even numbers are allowed on Friday.
Here are some of the photos taken by Dipesh Shrestha, a Republica Online photojournalist, in various parts of the capital on Friday afternoon.
