By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, July 23: The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nepal has said that the government has done well in its COVID-19 response, especially the quick decision it took in declaring the nationwide lockdown.

In an interview with The Rising Nepal, WHO Nepal Representative Dr. Jos Vandelaer, said, “Nepal has done quite well so far, thanks mainly to the lockdown and the quarantining of people coming in from outside the country.”

“The fact that we haven’t seen widespread community transmission yet is due to the lockdown and quarantine. By and large the quarantine helped keep the cases under control,” Dr. Jos said.

However, the WHO official, who is a medical doctor, cautioned everyone to continue to take all necessary safety precautions against the virus, warning that there is still huge risk of the disease.

The worst is not behind us. There is a huge risk that the virus can at some point spread in the community, he added.

If you look around the city, people are not keeping physical distance. They are not doing what they are supposed to do and that’s exactly what the virus wants,
Dr. Jos said.

If we are too close to each other, if we do not wash our hands, if we do not wear face masks, the virus can start spreading,” he cautioned.

“My main message to everybody is: please maintain physical distance, wash your hands, if you cough, cough in your elbow, wear a mask when there are lots of people around,” he added.