The business community in Surkhet has announced to open shops and businesses from Wednesday against the government’s lockdown orders.

On the 71st day of the nationwide lockdown on Tuesday, Surkhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that it will not adhere to the lockdown rules, saying the protracted stay-at-home orders have affected the local businesses.

Issuing a statement, the chamber said it was compelled to take such a decision as and the government had still not come up with a clear roadmap to exit from the lockdown while businesses continued to suffer losses.

The statement signed by Dhan Bahadur Rawat and Laxman Kandel, the chairman and general secretary of the organisation, said all business companies and shops will open from 10am till 3pm from Wednesday, except on Saturdays when businesses will remain closed.

Shops selling fruits, vegetables, dairy products and cooking gas will open between five and nine in the morning and five and eight in the evening, the statement said.
The chamber has urged the concerned shop and business owners to follow necessary health and safety precautions against the coronavirus.

The District Administration Office is now under pressure to implement the lockdown effectively with the chamber’s announcement to defy the government orders.
Padamlal Lamichhane, the district administrative officer, said the DAO was in talks with the chamber representatives to make them withdraw the decision.

While the Surkhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry formally announced to defy the lockdown, the Karnali Province government has not taken any steps to ease the lockdown.
As the voice to relax the lockdown is getting stronger by the day, the provincial government seems unable to make its own decision on the matter. Instead, it has sought permission from the federal government to ease the restrictions for some sectors.

On Sunday, a meeting of the Karnali Province Crisis Management Centre, led by Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, asked the federal government to open schools and lift the ban on the collection of Yarchagumba (Cordyceps sinensis) in the mountain districts of the province where the risk of Covid-19 is not high.