By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 3: Following mounting pressure from all sides to seek alternative to the prolonged lockdown, the government is preparing to come up with new modalities to help prevent coronavirus transmission and the way out to ease people’s life.
The High Level Coordination Committee for Prevention and Control of COVID-19 has been preparing to change lockdown modalities. And this new modality of lockdown is likely to come into effect before June 14.
Narayan Bidari, Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, said the format of the lockdown is to be revised by demarcating high-risk zones, after consulting with the health experts.
Bidari said, “The Committee is planning to ease lockdown restrictions within the country while maintaining the measures to curb the possible spread of COVID-19 infection. And the assessment for the same is underway.”
In this regard, the committee has been holding discussions with the concerned experts.
On Tuesday alone, the committee had consulted with the representatives of business community and experts of social sectors.
The concerned experts have advised the committee to come up with new models to ease the life of people because the lockdown is not the only solution.
They have suggested that as the coronavirus will not go away anytime soon, the government should come up with concrete plans to ease the lockdown while saving people from infection.
New guidelines should be prepared to operate their businesses, they asked the committee.
According to Bidari, the Committee is holding discussions with the experts of technology, medical and health sectors on Wednesday and the modality of the lockdown would be changed according to their advice.
He said the government would come up with modalities for a new normal life. “We need to balance both the economy and health,” said Bidari.
It is said that the committee is preparing to change the modality by identifying high-risk, mild-risk and low-risk zones.
Earlier, a Cabinet meeting on Saturday extended the ongoing lockdown for the sixth time, until June 14 amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
The Cabinet has also directed the Committee to change the modality of the lockdown.