COVID-19 can be contained with conscious efforts: Minister Bhattarai

Kathmandu - Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai has expressed his confidence that COVID-19 would be contained with conscious efforts. Talking to the media persons in Taplejung district through videoconferencing today, Minister Bhattarai viewed that at a time when there was neither vaccine and medicine made against the deadly infection as of now, Minister Bhattarai added that it was vital to curb this infection through awareness.

Underscoring the need to learn from those countries facing health crisis for not timely observing precaution against this flu-like infection and those working for prevention and control of this pandemic right from the onset, Bhattarai clarified that the government here had worked in a systematic manner for COVID-19’s prevention and mitigation of its risk.

According to him, all the awareness drive and techniques employed by the government against the outbreak of COVID-19 had been successful so far and even the international organizations had acknowledged it. He viewed that ending or prolonging lockdown was not only up to Nepal’s circumstances.

The government was moving ahead assessing every circumstances and fallout stemming from this health crisis and would take due course of action depending on the situation. Admitting that the COVID-19 had adversely affected country's economy and tourism sector, the Minister pledged to work in a new way to salvage the tourism industry.

Furthermore, he was confident that the government would mull decreasing the interest rate of the bank, extend the timeline to pay the interest of the bank loan and providing loan to the entrepreneurs in subsidized rate so as to provide respite to the farmers and entrepreneurs hit hard by the nationwide lockdown.