KATHMANDU: Government of the United States of America has announced an additional $5.5 million in new funding, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to mitigate the secondary impacts of COVID-19 transmission in Nepal.

The new funding brings the United States Government's COVID-19 assistance to Nepal to a total of $7.3 million.

According to the US Embassy in Nepal, through this assistance, USAID will work with the Government of Nepal to address second-order impacts of the crisis. Specifically, the funding will mobilise financial support for the economic recovery of small businesses, building on existing partnerships to address urgent needs within hard-hit municipalities; and assist local governments and institutions in vulnerable communities to assess, plan for, and respond to socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, while leveraging private sector investment.

USAID is also providing health assistance funding to conduct community-level risk-communications, prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and surveillance, and support technical experts for response and preparedness.

In the announcement of USAID’s new COVID-19 response assistance, US Ambassador to Nepal, Randy Berry stated, “Times of crisis like these are the truest test of a partnership, and we remain committed to building a more resilient, healthy, prosperous, and self-reliant Nepal during these hard times – and beyond.”

The United States’ strong and collaborative partnership with the Government of Nepal spans over 70 years and includes the delivery of over $1.5 billion in US assistance to support the development of agriculture, education, health, and other socio-economic sectors in Nepal, said the Embassy in a press statement.

For decades, the United States has been the world's largest provider of bilateral assistance in global health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance.