These are some of the best stories from The Kathmandu Post (March 19, 2020).File photo of students taking Secondary Education Examinations. Angad Dhakal/TKP
Here are some of the big stories from today's The Kathmandu Post.
SEE postponed, public gatherings of more than 25 barred, and gyms, film halls closed
The government on Wednesday took a slew of decisions in an attempt to prevent the spread of the global Covid-19 outbreak which has invaded more than 170 countries so far.
The high-level coordination committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel decided to postpone the Secondary Education Examinations until further notice. The exams were scheduled to begin on Thursday.
As Malaysia enforces complete lockdown, Nepali workers struggle with reduced working hours
Malaysia is the hardest-hit country in South East Asia due to the coronavirus outbreak. There are as many as 790 confirmed cases of coronavirus with two reported deaths as of Wednesday. On Wednesday alone, 117 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the country.
Taking a strict measure to control the rapid spread of Covid-19, the Malaysian government, on Monday, announced a complete lockdown of the country.
The recent upheavals in the wake of Covid-19 fear have come hard on Nepali migrant workers living in labour destination countries, including Malaysia, which has been the most affected country due to the pandemic. There are an estimated 500,000 Nepali migrants in Malaysia, the most popular labour destination for Nepali workers.
Experts call for measures to ease the impact of coronavirus on the economy
Fears about the impact of Covid-19 on the world economy continue to grow. The large economies are still trying to figure out the actual effect of the pandemic; but in Nepal, certain sectors are already beginning to worry. Bankers have their concerns while industrialists say they are bracing themselves for a crisis.
“One of our major concerns is that businesses could fail to pay their loans and the loans will turn into bad debts, as most of them have already been affected,” said Ashoke Rana, chief executive officer of Himalayan Bank. “Business is down due to fear, but the consequences will be more severe if the country sees the spread of the virus.”
According to Nepal Rastra Bank, banks and financial institutions had a loan exposure of Rs3.18 trillion as of mid-February, and overall non-performing loans (loan amount missing the repayment deadline) was just 1.77 percent.
Government bans entry of all passengers, including Nepalis, from midnight March 20
The government has banned all passengers, including Nepalis, from entering Nepal from European Union territories, including the United Kingdom, West Asia, Gulf countries and countries like Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. The ban will come into effect from March 20 midnight and will remain in place until April 15.
All passengers transiting in these locations are also prohibited.
Movement from China, however, has remained inexplicably open.
9.6°C Kathmandu
