The sharp rise in the number of active COVID cases in the country in recent days is evidence that the measures taken by the government to control the spread of the virus have not been effective. The number of active cases in the country on Monday stood at 30,877, which shows a yawning gap between new additions and recovery among patients. This figure is six times the number of active cases recorded at the start of the new year 2022, when there were 4,900 cases.

At the current rate of new infections, with as many as 5,000-6,000 cases per day and growing, we could very soon be seeing a deluge of active COVID cases, more than what our health facilities and human resources could possibly handle. For the record, the number of active cases had peaked at more than 117,000 on May 25 last year – the highest number since the coronavirus first made its presence in the country –before it started declining.

One wonders what has fueled the sudden surge in the number of coronavirus cases in recent days despite a number of measures to curtail them and people's growing awareness of the disease. A partial lockdown has been clamped in the Kathmandu Valley for the past one week, with orders to shut down schools and colleges while putting a ban on any kind of gathering of more than 25 people. A fresh cabinet decision on Sunday decided to close down recreational sectors like cinema halls, party venues, dance bars, swimming pools and gyms till January 29. People have been asked to follow the mandatory health protocols of wearing a mask at all times in public places, washing one's hands regularly and maintaining physical distancing.

But such appeals by the authorities seem to have fallen on deaf ears, with crowds of people everywhere when they should been staying home and avoiding public gatherings. The shops and streets of the capital are as crowded as before and so are public vehicles. Even though a rigorous Nepal Mask Campaign was launched by the government in August, after the death toll from the virus reached the 10,000 mark, people still go about without a mouth cover.

Although doctors say the current situation does not necessitate a complete lockdown as in the past years, one can never tell. Both the government and the people seem to be taking the new Omicron virus lightly because it is said to be milder than the previous Delta one, a reason that has not required mass hospitalisation or the use of ventilators as during the second wave of the pandemic. But what if a new variant of the virus were to surface anytime soon? The government thus has the onus to take all precautionary measures, such as regulating the open border to prevent migrant workers – both Nepalis and Indians – with the Omicron virus from sneaking into the country and inoculating not only the entire eligible population with the COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest but also starting booster doses where feasible.

The use of the winter vacation by the authorities to vaccinate students in the schools on specific days is commendable. The vaccines and the health protocol are the best safeguards against the spread of the virus and to prevent COVID patients from overwhelming our hospitals and health facilities.

Name, capital fixed

Just one year before the expiry of the first term of the provincial assembly, Province 2, which occupies eight districts of the plains from Parsa to Saptari, has been able to name its province and fix its headquarters.

The first meeting of the provincial assembly held on Monday decided to fix Janakpur as its permanent capital while the second meeting decided to name it as 'Madhes' with more than two-thirds of the members voting in favour. In the 104-member assembly, 99 lawmakers were present during the vote. As many as 78 assembly lawmakers voted in favour of Janakpur as its provincial capital.

In the second assembly meeting, as many as 80 lawmakers out of the total 99 lawmakers present went in favour of naming the province as Madhes. As per the constitutional provision, a two-thirds majority is required to fix the capital of a province and its name. All members of the ruling parties – Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and CPN-Maoist Centre – had jointly forwarded the proposals to name the province and its capital. Some lawmakers of the other parties also crossed the floor to back the proposals. Now, Province 1 is the only pradesh which has yet to decide on its capital and name.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.