KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 2

National Business Initiative (NBI) has requested the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) not to impose lockdown again.

As rumours are rife in the market that the government is preparing to impose a lockdown again, a delegation of NBI submitted a request letter to Health Minister Bhanubhakta Dhakal requesting not to do the same.

The team included NBI President Kush Kumar Joshi, Senior Vice-President of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Shekhar Golchha, NBI General Secretary Surendra Bir Malakar, NBI Treasurer Deepak Malhotra and Araniko Rajbhandari, president of Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal.

“The earlier months-long lockdown has already badly affected life across the country and if the government again imposes a lockdown, it will further deteriorate the economy,” reads the press statement issued today.

NBI President Joshi informed the minister that the country’s economy — already in doldrums due to nearly six-month-long lockdown — will suffer more if another lockdown is implemented.

Meanwhile, Minister Dhakal assured the NBI delegates that the government is not mulling over imposing a lockdown again. Rather the government is looking for an alternative of lockdown to prevent COVID-19 infection from spreading further in the country, the minister informed, reads the statement.

The ministry has said that the government has taken private sector’s suggestion seriously and will ensure economic activities are not affected while it attempts to control the COVID-19 infection.

The minister further assured that information related to plans for another lockdown is just a rumour.