LOGIN DASHBOARD

    COVID19

    News

    4 MIN READ

    Covid19 Roundup, 1 May: Cases reach 59 as Oli pushes blame on the media

    The Record, May 1, 2020, Kathmandu

    Covid19 Roundup, 1 May: Cases reach 59 as Oli pushes blame on the media

      Share this article

    A daily summary of Covid19 related developments that matter

    (The Record Nepal)

    Covid19 cases reach 59 

    The total number of Covid19 cases in Nepal has reached 59 with the confirmation of two new cases on Friday. The Ministry of Health and Population said that two men, aged 25 and 60, were found to have tested positive for the virus based on PCR tests in Rupandehi and Nepalgunj respectively. Both are under medical observation. Meanwhile, health authorities have started tracking and taking samples from family members and friends who they were in contact with.

    Sixteen people have already been discharged after successful recovery as of Friday, according to the ministry.

    PM attacks media 

    Prime minister KP Sharma Oli has accused the media of trying to push the country toward another round of instability and backwardness.

    “The government, cadres of the ruling Nepal Communist Party and citizens will not tolerate such efforts to create instability,” Oli said in a video message released on occasion of the International Labour Day on Friday.

    The PM’s remarks come at a time when Oli has been under increased media scrutiny for his attempts to consolidate power while taking advantage of the Covid19 pandemic. The government has also come under criticism for failing to come up with effective assistance for migrants and the poor.

    Govt working on new modality 

    Health minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal has signalled that the government may relax restrictions on emergency services and certain economic sectors after 7 May. Speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Management Committee of the National Assembly on Friday, Dhakal said that the government was doing homework to ascertain those services and industries.

    “Many people with preexisting health conditions have not been able to go to the hospital. This should be addressed,” said Dhakal, stressing on the need to slowly return to normalcy.

    Informal workers face worse blow

    The continued sharp decline in working hours globally due to the Covid19 outbreak  means that 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, comprising nearly half of the global workforce, stand in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed, warns the International Labour Organization.

    According to the ILO’s report on Covid19’s impact on work, the drop in working hours in the current (second) quarter of 2020 is expected to be significantly worse than previously estimated.

    Compared to pre-crisis levels (Q4 2019), a 10.5 percent deterioration is now expected, equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs, based on a 48-hour working week. The previous estimate was for a 6.7 percent drop, equivalent to 195 million full-time workers. This is due to the prolongation and extension of lockdown measures.

    Regionally, the situation has worsened for all major regional groups. Estimates suggest a 12.4 percent loss of working hours in Q2 as compared to pre-crisis levels for the Americas and 11.8 percent for Europe and Central Asia. The estimates for the rest of the regional groups follow closely and are all above 9.5 percent.

    “The ILO calls for urgent, targeted and flexible measures to support workers and businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, those in the informal economy and others who are vulnerable,” reads a statement issued on May Day.

    In Nepal, more than 70 percent of the economically active population is involved in the informal economy.

    Covid19 makes apparent Gulf’s treatment of migrants

    The spread of Covid19 has put migrant workers at an even greater risk in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of six countries comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. The countries host the majority of the estimated 23 million migrant workers, including about 1.5 million Nepalis, living in the Arab states.

    “These are some of the richest countries in the world. Sadly, they have also become notorious for the systematic abuse and exploitation of the migrant workers who contribute so much to their economies. Unpaid wages, forced labour, dangerous working conditions and unsanitary accommodation facilities are too often part and parcel of the migration experience,” Amnesty International said in a statement, calling on the governments in these countries to ensure the right to healthcare, adequate housing, social security and just working conditions.

    The Human Rights watchdog has also called on the GCC governments to revise the sponsorship system, also known as the kafala.

    All GCC states operate versions of the kafala sponsorship system which ties the workers’ legal right to be in the country to their contracts. “This means people risk being imprisoned or deported if they leave their jobs without the permission of their employers. In Saudi Arabia, migrant workers cannot even leave the country without such permissions,” reads the statement.

    ::::::::::

     



    author bio photo

    The Record  We are an independent digital publication based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our stories examine politics, the economy, society, and culture. We look into events both current and past, offering depth, analysis, and perspective. Explore our features, explainers, long reads, multimedia stories, and podcasts. There’s something here for everyone.



    Comments

    Get the best of

    the Record

    Previous Next

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    COVID19

    Explainers

    3 min read

    WHO hasn’t approved any home remedy for COVID-19

    Deepak Adhikari - July 16, 2020

    A message circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger claims that an Indian student from Pondicherry University has found a cure for COVID-19, and the "home remedy" has been approved by World Health Organization (WHO).

    Features

    7 min read

    Pet president

    The Record - December 16, 2020

    The president has become a rubber stamp for the prime minister’s authoritarian onslaughts, making a mockery of the position of the head of state

    COVID19

    News

    3 min read

    Nepal struggling to protect its inmates from Covid-19

    Bhadra Sharma - August 14, 2020

    Preventing coronavirus spread in Nepal’s overcrowded jails is becoming near impossible

    Features

    5 min read

    Farmers devastated by lockdown

    Roshan Sedhai - June 24, 2020

    Nepali farmers have had to silently bear the brunt of a lopsided approach to Covid-19

    COVID19

    7 min read

    Navigating the post-corona world

    Rubin Ghimire - May 4, 2020

    Dignified regional cooperation is the need of the hour and self-reliance the major goal

    COVID19

    News

    3 min read

    Covid19 Roundup, 19 May: Kathmandu Valley seals border and paid testing to be made available

    The Record - May 19, 2020

    A daily summary of Covid19-related developments that matter

    Features

    8 min read

    "Rohingya Hindus are used here like pawns": A Minority on The Chessboard

    Faisal Mahmud - October 16, 2017

    Conflicting narratives from Hindu Rohingya refugees suggests the Myanmar government is leveraging them for geopolitical gain.

    Features

    6 min read

    The melting towers of Himalayan water

    Shuvam Rizal - March 1, 2021

    When it comes to climate change, Global media attention has stayed on island nations but the Himalaya have their own unique vulnerabilities.

    • About
    • Contributors
    • Jobs
    • Contact

    CONNECT WITH US

    © Copyright the Record | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy