By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, May 16: “The pandemic feels so much more real now,” said Ruhan Karmacharya, a resident of Nakhipot, about the COVID-19 cases detected in the valley. “We were aware and conscious about the virus spreading in other parts of the country. But at the same time, we also felt insulated in Kathmandu. That insulation is now gone,” he added.
As imported cases turned to local transmission and fears of community spread began to grow in other parts of the country, the Kathmandu Valley was largely spared the wrath of the coronavirus. Even as the country was recording alarming spike in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on a daily basis, Kathmandu had not seen any new case since the three patients from Suncity Apartments nearly a month ago. But that all changed late Tuesday night when two people from Bhaktapur and one from Kathmandu were found to be infected with the virus. An additional case was again detected on Thursday morning in Kathmandu.
In less than a week, the number of active cases went from zero to four (may rise further) in the valley, leaving the residents confused and frightened.
“It all happened so fast. Literally, I went to sleep on Tuesday feeling safe and woke up Wednesday morning to see that Kathmandu also had cases and certain areas were being sealed,” said Kamal Chaulagain from Koteshwor. He added, “Of course, we couldn’t have expected to be untouched by the epidemic that is wreaking havoc across the world and the country. But still, how did they manage to travel to the capital during the lockdown?”
The fact that three cases detected on Tuesday had all arrived from outside the valley has raised many questions and miffed many residents of the capital. “What is happening and why is it happening?” questioned Lalita Prasain, who lives in Gwarko. Her son Ujjwol also expressed his dissatisfaction. “It seems that the three had valid passes to travel. Is it that easy to obtain passes? Does this lockdown only apply to some people?”
With the exponential rise of cases in the country and the visible movement of people many have been questioning the effectiveness of the lockdown. Kathmanduites, who felt themselves relatively safe till now, have also been jolted by the detection of these cases and are now worried about their and their loved ones’ safety.