Kathmandu, September 5 : At a time when the speculations about the re-imposition of national lockdown before Dashain are doing the rounds, the private sector has urged the government not to again opt for such lockdown to stem the COVID-19 pandemic. A delegation of the National Business Initiative (NBI) recently met Minister for Health and Population, Bhanubhakta Dhakal, in the capital and made such an appeal.
The delegation, led by president of the NBI, Kush Kumar Joshi, consisted of senior vice-president of the FNCCI, Shekhar Golchha, secretary of the NBI, Surendra Bir Malakar, treasurer of the NBI, Deepak Malhotra, and president of National Restaurant and Bar Association, Araniko Rajbhadari.
“The lockdowns imposed in the last five/six months have already done much damage to the country’s fragile economy. As such, if the country goes into lockdown once again, it will face a complete economic debacle,” they told Minister Dhakal during the meeting.
In his response, he said that the government will take the concerns of the NBI seriously and adopt other options rather than prohibitory order to stem the pandemic. The minister also asked the business persons for their co-opertion and support in both fighting the current crisis and uplifting the country’s economy.
