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Cooking is a useful life skill. Even if you don’t know how to cook, it’s not rocket science and can be acquired with some practice. Especially when you’re locked down at home and have run out of things to do, cooking can be refreshing, meditative, and perhaps even palatable with a little effort.

Don’t know where to start? Let us guide you to some mobile applications. And don’t worry about having to register or pay, as they are all free.

BBC Good Food 

The BBC is not only a solid source of Covid-19-related news and information; it’s also a useful guide to good food. BBC’s Good Food offers a huge database of over 10,000 recipes accessed easily via the app available both on iOS and Android. With both user-submitted recipes and tried-and-tested recipes from the BBC Good Food team and celebrity chefs, users can create their personalized accounts and save their favorite recipes into custom collections, as well as rate and save recipes for later. The step-by-step guides in the app are of great help. You may also share your favorite recipes with family and friends.

Tasty

The Tasty app, available on both iOS and Android platforms, is one of the most popular cooking apps. And chances are, you’ve likely seen a related tasty video or two on social media. If you have, you don’t have to go back in time to find the video again. The app allows you to search from its huge database and will let you find exactly what you’re looking for with multiple filters like vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and what not.

You can personalize the app and benefit from its step-by-step instructions, keeping your phone screen awake while it does so.

BigOven

BigOven makes cooking simple with more than 350,000 recipes on offer via its iOS and Android platforms. With this cooking app, you’ll not only be inspired to cook, but also be mighty organized in the kitchen. You can navigate the massive BigOven library of recipes with ease, and the app allows you to add snapshots of your recipes. Plus there is the option of making a grocery list based on the recipes you want. You can also type in three ingredients you have in your kitchen, and BigOven will show you what you can make with them. How convenient!

Nepal is witnessing a surge in cases of sexual violence, divorces, and relationship breakdowns during the prolonged lockdown. The longer the lockdown continues, the tougher it gets for everyone. Yet there seems no respite in sight. New cases of corona are being reported with increasing frequency, right around the country, including in the national capital of Kathmandu. Some areas have been sealed off while curfews have been imposed in some other areas. Even as the fear of isolation and relationship breakdown grows, the dread of getting the virus is far greater.

So how does the state go about implementing the devilishly difficult decision of lifting the lockdown, which has to happen sooner or later? As reliable tests for the virus have been in desperate short supply in the country, how do you assess which areas are safe and which not? At the same time, can people be forced to stay holed up in their homes for months on end without a significant impact on their physical and mental health? And how do you provide for those without savings and who live almost exclusively on daily wages? All these things will have to be considered before lifting the restrictions on people’s movements.

Hard choices will have to be made. It will be dangerous to relax the lockdown much. Evidence from countries like Germany and South Korea suggest that such a relaxation almost instantly leads to a spike in the number of corona cases. So like it or not, most of the restrictions will have to remain intact. In this condition, as essential will be a huge economic package—something along the lines of India, which has set aside a Covid-19 relief fund that is 10 percent of its GDP. There has to be a calibrated income support for those in the bottom rungs of the economic ladder to keep them from falling into hunger and destitution. Again, international evidence suggests cash handouts are the most effective form of support for low-income groups.

There is no need to wait for the next budgetary cycle to announce the relief package. Also, the seeming lack of urgency to get China to export the medical equipment and testing kits that Nepal has already paid for is hard to understand. How can paperwork hold up such vital delivery? We need those medical goods here, instantly. Without mass testing with these imported test kits, the extended lockdown, however hard it has been on everyone, could go to a waste. There is not a moment to lose.

The first thing you’ll do when the lockdown is over?

It has been a month since I’ve met my friends. I’ll see them and go for a long ride with them. Probably out of the Valley. 

Do you think the pandemic has changed/will change your life?

The pandemic has already changed my life. Not only mine; physically, mentally, economically, it has changed everyone’s life, right around the world.

Something you’ve been doing the most often during the lockdown? 

Reading novels, writing poems, writing lyrics for my new songs, working out, meditating, and playing PUBG.

A movie/series you would recommend for the lockdown?

Being a fan of adventure series, I would suggest “Outlander.” It’s a perfect combination of adventure, history, romance, drama, and tragedy.

Have you read anything lately? Would you recommend it?

I recently read Hari Bansha Acharya’s autobiography “China Harayeko Manche”. This is one of the best autobiographies I’ve read and would recommend it to everyone.

Best music to listen to during the lockdown?

When it comes to music, people have different tastes. For me, I’ve been listening to some old Nepali folk music during the lockdown.

How do you work out during the lockdown? 

Cleaning my home daily, running, and meditating.

If not at home, where would you preferably be locked down?

I could have actually been around southwestern Europe as I was planning to study abroad.

 If you were to be locked down with a Nepali celebrity for 21 days, who would it be?

It would be the one and only “Maha Jodi.”

One dish you wouldn’t mind eating everyday during the lockdown?

I wouldn't mind eating the traditional Nepali “Daal Bhaat Tarkari” every day.

What is the first thing you’ll do when the lockdown is over?

I will go for a bike ride, roam around the city, and food-hunt with my friends.

Do you think the pandemic has changed/will change your life?

Yes, it has already changed and will continue to change, not only my life but everyone else’s, too, and in every aspect.

Something you’ve been doing a lot during the lockdown?

Meditation, workout, and cooking different kinds of dishes. 

A movies/series you would suggest for the lockdown?

To be real with you, along with the half of the world right now, I too am on-board on the “Money Heist” train. So, if you haven’t watched it, I would suggest you do.

Have you read anything? Would you suggest it?

“How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie

Best music to listen to during the lockdown?

I would suggest Mantra of Avalokiteshvara 

How do you work out during the lockdown?

I do ‘HIIT’ workout on YouTube

If not at home, where would you preferably be locked down?

Probably in Manang or Solukhumbu area. Then, I get to spend this moment of life in peace, breathing the refreshing air of Himalayas and drinking the mineral-rich water of the glaciers. 

If you were to be locked down with a Nepali Celebrity for 21 days, who would it be?

It would be Anuradha Koirala, not only in this lockdown, but any other time too. She is one of the most inspiring ladies and I can learn a lot from her. Also, I can spend time at Maiti Nepal surrounded by beautiful and empowering ladies.

One dish you would’t mind eating everyday during the lockdown?

You might hear this answer very often. But yes, it would be “Masu Bhaat”.

The ill-equipped quarantine facilities of Bardiya district are a health hazard. As more people enter the district from Kathmandu and elsewhere, these facilities have been crowded and the risk of infection has increased.

The group isolation center established at Amshuvarma Secondary School at Jayanagar in Barbardiya Municipality is one such facility. Sushil Shrestha, who has been housed there by the municipality, says: “We are seven people in a room. There is one common bathroom, and one common bucket to carry water. It is a quarantine facility only in name. We are at high risk here.”

Shrestha complains of not getting anything to eat. The room has been prepared by removing the classroom’s desks and benches and with the placement of one thin mat on the floor. “How can we stay here for 14 days?” asks Shrestha. Contacting APEX over phone, he asked to be rescued from the quarantine and be allowed to go home.

The government quarantine guidelines state that each person should be given a separate room with attached bath, and if that is not possible, at most three persons can be accommodated in a room. A bathroom cannot be shared by more than six persons. Beds should be at least 3.5 feet apart. The facilities should provide morning and evening meals and two snacks a day. But most quarantine centers lack these facilities.

Ninety-nine quarantine centers with 3,516 beds have been set up in Gulariya, Madhuban, Rajapur, Thakurbaba, Barbardiya, and Bansgadhi municipalities and Gerua and Badhaiyatal rural municipalities of the district. Currently, 2,198 people are housed in these facilities.

“The facilities in seven municipalities are in good condition. Only one or two quarantine centers in Barbardiya are in a poor state,” claims Chief District Officer Prem Lal Lamichhane. He adds that Barbardiya has more people coming from elsewhere, so the quarantine centers there may be more crowded.

Stigmatizing, unhygienic, and dusty

People complain about lack of drinking water, sanitizers, and unhygienic conditions in quarantine centers

Pradeep Chandra Rai, Bhojpur

Namuna Ghimire from Charambi of Arun Rural Municipality returned to Bhojpur district from Kathmandu in a bus arranged by the municipality. She, along with her fellow travelers, have been kept at a quarantine facility established at a local school. She is unhappy.

Whoever sees her starts saying, “Oh, she has brought corona.” Even those who are quarantined with her show a similar attitude. “Although my house is not far, I am not allowed to go there. And nobody comes to see me due to the lockdown,” she says.

One Pratikshya Tamang, who is quarantined along with her baby, says villagers think she has imported corona into the village. “It hurts to hear such callous remarks,” she shares.

People complain about lack of drinking water, sanitizers, and unhygienic conditions in quarantine centers. They are scared of developing other health problems. Sangita Shrestha, who is in the same facility, says: “My daughter has a skin allergy. She may also have flu. But there is no way to get her to a doctor. And there is no nutritious food here. I am worried about our health.”

A total of 132 people coming from Kathmandu and Sunsari have been placed in the quarantine centers of Arun Rural Municipality, while 15 are kept in Temke Maiyung and seven in Bhojpur Municipality.

Dipendra Alemagar of Bhojpur Municipality complains of being put up in a dusty room. “We have been given a thin mattress and a bed-sheet. It is difficult to sleep.”

Lockdown or not, this is something you should be doing everyday, or at least five days a week, say doctors. And you can’t make an excuse that gyms are closed because millions of people around the world now work out in their own homes following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Should you plan on starting (weights, pilates, calisthenics, yoga, aerobics, or something else), let us guide you to the best resources online, for free. Here’s a compilation of the best at-home, equipment-free workout channels on YouTube.

Blogilates 

This channel, started by Cassey Ho in 2009, has become one of the largest female-focused online fitness classes. Not that men can’t take advantage of Blogilates’ POP Pilates—a combination of pop music and pilates movements to create a more danceable practice.

There is a wide variety of videos for fitness enthusiasts of all level and the best part, almost all exercises available can be performed without any equipment—even a yoga mat is optional. Subscribe to the channel and try out a few moves immediately.

The Fitness Marshall 

The Fitness Marshall channel, started in 2014 by Caleb Marshall, is all about dancing one’s way into fitness. The channel provides a steady stream of entertaining, heart-pumping and user-friendly dance videos that are perfect for cardio sessions.

Appropriate for all levels of enthusiasts, the videos with infectious rhythm and clear instructions make one forget the exercise aspect, making sure you don’t tire out quickly. Although the videos are short, you can also compile playlists within the channel for longer workout sessions.

HASfit 

“Every Heart and Soul deserves to be fit,” is the pledge of HASfit as it strives to provide all its programs at zero cost to its subscribers. With over 1,000 full-length workout routines, HASfit also offers 30-90 day fitness and meal plans, accommodating a wide range of activity levels and dietary restrictions. 

The only drawback is that you’ll have to visit the HASfit website for full programs but they’re still free. Even if you choose to just stick to the YouTube channel, you will not be disappointed wit

The number of novel coronavirus cases in Nepal has jumped to 99, as of the evening of May 6. In the past 24 hours, 17 new cases, including one infant, were detected in Birgunj of Parsa district. 

Even when you have reliable internet, it might be tough to find the right resources online to teach your children. As the lockdown following the Covid-19 outbreak has confined us to our homes, most parents are forced to be teachers to their children, but without expertise, it can be a challenge.

There are multiple apps to help parents access the right resources to be able to teach their children at home. We have complied a list of the best free ones, to save your money and time.

Khan Academy Kids

Intended for children aged two to six, Khan Academy is one of the most popular e-learning apps, offering thousands of lessons in dozens of languages.

With progress trackers that let you know how far your kids have advanced in a particular topic, Khan Academy covers not only math and science but also music, drawing, coloring and much more with intuitive controls and cute cartoons to make learning fun for children.

Khan Academy also has an app for older students, which has math (everything from arithmetic to calculus), science (including biology, physics, and chemistry), economics, arts and humanities (like grammar and history), and computing. The apps are available for download on Android, iOS, and Amazon.

PBS Kids Games

PBS Kids Games is already pretty famous among young children and your child is likely to instantly find comfort in at least a few PBS characters, including Molly of Denali, Sesame Street, or Clifford the Big Red Dog. These characters will then help them find shapes, learn to count, or go to a museum to hunt for historic figures.

Available on Android, iOS and Amazon, this app will teach science, reading, math, social and emotional growth, creativity, music, and social studies to children aged two to six via hundreds of fun games.

BrainPop and BrainPop Jr.

Usually available only for paid subscribers, BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. are offering free access to their content during school closures. One can get free login through their website.

Available on Android, iOS, Amazon and Windows Store, they cover a wide variety of topics via instructive videos, and reinforce the concepts with quizzes.

Covering areas like math, science, social studies, art and music, health, engineering and tech, and English, the BrainPop Jr. is for kindergarteners to third graders, while BrainPop is for older elementary and middle school students.