Nepali business hopes to bounce back as COVID-19 lockdown eases

After suffering losses in business for more than two months, people in Nepal are elated following the Nepal government's order allowing re-opening of some activities.

"The business was severely hit during the Baisakh and Jestha months. I had to close over my business at the peak of the season. I couldn't sale items that are specially meant for marriage," Sarita Karki, a cosmetics shop owner, told .

Echoing similar sentiments, another grocery shop owner in Kathmandu, Kalpana Baral, said: "People faced several hardships during the lockdown, now with the ease in the norms we are hoping that it would be easier to go about our businesses."

After over two and a half months of lockdown, the government on Thursday evening formally allowed retail and wholesale markets to operationalize ensuring necessary precautions.

However, all businesses have not been allowed to function. According to the government order, movie halls, amusement parks, and hotels would remain shut. The restaurants have been permitted to operate for take-away.

Besides, the government has permitted the private vehicles to ply on roads as per odd-even rule. The vehicles with even digits on the end of their number plate would be permitted to operate on roads on even dates and those with odd numbers to ply on odd dates.

With public transport still on a halt, the private four-wheelers are permitted to carry two persons excluding the driver while the two-wheelers are permitted to commute on roads without a passenger on the back seat.

As per the government's new plan, the first phase of easing of lockdown would depend on the number of cases registered in the next 21 days. The government has planned to ease the lockdown in some parts depending on the number of new cases registered by fixing two to three weeks as a probation period.

The ongoing lockdown was imposed on March 24 and is slated to end on June 14.

( With inputs from ANI )