Global pandemic of COVID-19 is affecting everyone. This has been described as the greatest global humanitarian crisis since WWII. On December 31st, 2019 cases of Pneumonia from unknown cause was first reported in the WHO Country office in China. Later, WHO declared it as the Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan 30th, 2020. This COVID-19 seen initially in the Wuhan, China but travelled mostly due to the advancement of air transportation globally. All major countries at the initial outbreak of COVID-19 had applied limited approach in prevention and control of this virus. As of April 3rd 2020, the number of COVID-19 cases globally is 1016,424. Among them, 53,241 were dead and 213,140 were recovered. In this entire pandemic, Italy is the worst hit from COVID-19 and has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 in Europe. The death toll is 13,915 and infected is 115242(As of April 3rd, 2020). The US along has 245, 373 cases of COVID-19 with 6095 deaths. The intervention of the US government in curbing the COVID-19 has been dysfunctional. The US government had announced $2 Trillion Economic Stimulus bill to fight against COVID-19 that include stimulus payments to individuals, expanded unemployment coverage, student loan changes, different retirement account rules. Under the plan, single Americans would receive $1200, married couples would get $2400 and parents would see $500 for each child under 17. However, the many argued that such economic package came very late as the first identified case of the COVID-19 was found in the Jan 20, 2020.
In the case of Nepal, economic relief package announced on March 29th, 2020 includes a 25% discount on electricity for consumers who use more than 150 units every month and no penalty if utility bill and tax payments are not cleared till mid-April, urging tourism sector to pay salaries for March-April to employees on the terms of tourism company are allowed to use social welfare funds until business returns to normal. Also, government had urged land lord to provide one month rent relief for its tenants.
From the above case story of the US & Italy; western government has been found inefficient in curbing the impact. However, the pandemic of the COVID-19 has so far limited in the developing world.
Impact in Nepal
The outbreak of the COVID-19 has affected economy, politics and society. All major countries are using tools of lock downs, quarantine and isolation ward in the hospital for the prevention and control of this virus. Though these measures seem effective in controlling the spread of the virus but halt in the economic activities; which is predicted to be serious. The global economy expected to grow in 2020 is 2.4% down from the 2.9% projected earlier (OECD, 2020). In Nepal also, it has affected hugely on the Tourism sectors. Nepal Tourism Year 2020 was announced just one day after the COVID-19 outbreak in China.In Nepal, sectors like Hotels, Civil Aviation, Supply Chain, Labour Employment and Remittance. Occupancy rate of major star Hotel like Annapurna hotel is just has 40-45% occupancy down from 70%. Flights in Lukla, Nepal declined from 60 to 10-12 flights per day as government decided to halt trekking permits as well as International flights entering to Nepal. Due to fear of the shortage of COVID-19, people started keeping stocks of the LPG cylinder. This has put shortage of the LPG. Around 40,000 people with valid work permit are stranded in Nepal to fly to Qatar due to lock down major by Qatar. This shows, remittance in coming days will be very limited and demand will be slow in Middle East as oil prices is falling.
Contradiction
There is also high chance of expecting this virus as a normal pandemic by politics which humanity has surpassed during its course of history. The global politics sometime won’t expect any change in its structure (for e.g. change of global order) until and unless there is a mass death toll comparing to World Wars. Loss in the global economy might have possibilities to be adjusted under compromising terms. Since, the US, China, European nations including India all heavy players has been heavily affected; the global economy will have slow start after post COVID-19 years but slowly takes its grip (as we saw after 2008 financial crisis). Other than, political economic spectrum; everyone will be forced to forget these tragedies as time passes on. Since, every citizen has to work for living and people are dire need of economic package rather drilling mind on the pandemic itself. There are also chances of growing populist agenda in the upcoming days in the US elections to woe lower income families who has been worst sufferer of the pandemic.
Way forward
The effects of the COVID-19 in global and Nepal in particular is very hard hitting. Even the developed and most industrialized nations is doing its level best to overcome these challenges. While underlining the death toll in Italy, USA and Spain; one could seriously think of significant need of investment in health sector by the Western nations. Therefore, post-COVID-19 years have challenges for the Western nations to significantly invest on their own health system first and also to invest on the developing world health system. Secondly, Health certificate might be mandatory during Visa application process for developing world citizens for travelling to western nations. This virus proves that, we are deeply rooted into hyper inter-dependency and globalization where killing an opponent is suicidal for itself. In addition to this, there might be some changes in the border regulations of the EU for non-European nationals during post-COVID-19 days. Despite this fact, there is also potentiality of above contradiction stage.
In the case of Nepal, Tourism sectors including its sub sectors like Civil Aviation, Trekking, Foreign Labour employment has been worst sufferer during COVID-19 crisis. To overcome this crisis, Nepal government has announced its economic relief package for its public. But proper implementation of such relief package matters. As we know from the previous Earthquake Recovery fund; the inefficient management of the resource, mechanism has halted the work progress the project. So, government should have all relevant stakeholders’ dialogues to develop a comprehensive working strategy for proper implementation of this package.
In conclusion, strong economic stimulus package and its proper implementations is required to lift public from this deep cross-cutting crisis of the COVID-19. For making this reality; national level coordination with global consortium is essential to mitigate this crisis. Most significantly; UN system, World Bank, IMF, AIIB will have key role in making this COVID-19 pandemic a crisitunity.
