It’s been 12 days since Dharma Kumari BK moved to a quarantine facility in Bhume Rural Municipality. Dharma, a resident of Bhume in Rukum (East), has been keeping busy knitting woollen sweaters and caps from sheep wool.

“I have to stay in quarantine for at least 14 days. To pass time, I asked my family to send me some wool so I could start knitting,” she said.

Bhakta BK and Rakshya BK, who are staying at the same quarantine facility, have also been making use of their time in quarantine by making various bamboo products, including bamboo baskets.

Like Dharma, Bhakta and Rakshya, most of the individuals staying at the quarantine facility in Bhume are making use of their vocational skills to pass their days.

“We have been making bamboo baskets and other bamboo items while staying in quarantine. These items can be used in our house or we can sell them in the local markets when the lockdown is lifted,” Bhakta said.

The quarantine facility in Bhume currently houses 30 individuals, including 14 women, who are making use of their time in quarantine honing their vocational skills such as knitting and weaving.

Some of the individuals whose farmlands are near the quarantine facility are also working in their fields during the day.

“We are helping our family members harvest wheat and barley. We work in our farmlands during the day while maintaining ‘physical distancing’ but we spend our night at the quarantine facility,” said Manmati Pun Magar, another occupant of the facility.

“Twenty individuals from Dang, six from Pokhara and four from Baglung arrived at this facility during the lockdown,” said Gyanu Pun Magar, one of the quarantined at the Bhume-based facility.

In Bhume Rural Municipality, there are 54 individuals staying in various quarantine facilities, whereas 310 individuals have been advised to stay in self-quarantine by the authorities.

Ramsur Budha Magar, chairperson of the rural municipality, said the local administration has allowed individuals to work and study while in quarantine.

“It’s mandatory for all those who arrive from other districts or abroad to stay in quarantine. We have told them to utilise their time while staying in the quarantine facility,” Magar said.

Over 300 individuals have arrived in Bhume from Kathmandu and other parts of the country in recent months.