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A rare bit of good news for Nepal in these otherwise gloomy times: Prime Minister KP Oli seems to be slowly regaining his health. He had been largely bed-ridden following a kidney transplant, his second, at the start of March. In his address to the nation on April 7, he looked much better compared to the bleak photos of him that were coming out earlier. Now, hopefully, he can lead the country’s anti-corona response, and can minimize the sort of blatant mismanagement and shenanigans on the part of top state officials that were on display over the past few weeks. But the recuperating prime minister will have a lot on his plate.

The nationwide lockdown has been extended to April 15. Yet even the extended period may not be enough in halting the spread of the novel coronavirus. Testing for the virus has been widened, as tests are now being carried out at 10 centers across the country. Yet around two hundred tests a day are nearly not enough. The lockdown, however long, will be meaningful only when coupled with widespread testing.

It is important that the prime minister himself takes up the responsibility of importing quality test kits and protective gear for medical personnel. We have already seen how even his most trusted advisors can cheat him in the absence of his direct leadership. There is an even bigger challenge before him on the economy, which is on the verge of a breakdown. Besides many businesses going kaput, joblessness could swiftly rise, compounded by hoards of Nepali migrant workers forced to return from abroad.

The suggestion of some civil society leaders that the government trains its focus on agriculture is thus well placed. Most of our arable rural tracts are barren because of the shortage of manpower. This is an opportunity to modernize our agriculture and divert the unemployed masses into it. No other sector can quickly absorb as many working-age people.

Also, instead of trying to silence the government’s critics, as the prime minister seemingly wanted to do during his address, he should rather be trying to take all sectors of the society into confidence. Most critics will rally around him at this time of crisis if they see he is serious about taming the corona beast. Along with importing the right kits, his priority right now should be devising a social security scheme targeted at daily wage earners and low-income groups. The prime minister’s active leadership is indispensable in this long and treacherous road of containment and recovery the country has embarked on.  

With the head of the government out of the picture because of his poor health, the lapses we see in the country’s response to the snowballing Covid-19 crisis were perhaps to be expected. But they were not inevitable. The convalescing Prime Minister KP Oli would have done his country a world of good had he temporarily transferred executive powers to someone else. He didn’t. This resulted in chaos down the chain of command. Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel was tasked with leading the government coronavirus response. But most of his instructions seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Not that other top government officials have exactly covered themselves in glory either.

In a shocking development, the corona test kits and protective equipment imported from China are reportedly of questionable quality. But this isn’t China’s fault necessarily. It was Nepal that ordered these untested kits; China simply delivered them. The only logical way Nepalis make sense of this is to assume that at least some people made a lot of illegal money in this transaction. There also seems to be zero coordination between the three tiers of the government in dealing with the impending coronavirus epidemic. Money is being doled out right and left, with zero accountability. 

Then there are the Nepali citizens who have been prevented from entering their homeland. Under international law, the country cannot bar its own citizens from coming. But short of reliable quarantine facilities and testing kits, the state also fears its incoming citizens might carry the dreaded coronavirus. To be fair, any government would have had a tough time managing movement through the open border during a crisis like this. Yet the amount of confusion and helplessness on display was unwarranted. Again, there does not seem to be a clear chain of command running from the center down to the grassroots.  

Countries around the world have struggled with the corona epidemic, even those who were supposedly well equipped to deal with it. But one unmistakable lesson is that the most effective response involves close cooperation between different tiers of government and active participation of the private sector. There is also someone in charge of the whole process. Establishing a clear chain of command and constantly communicating the government intent and plans is thus vital. People here are already dying from undiagnosed illnesses. Daily essentials are in short supply. Thousands of Nepalis untested for corona are lined up at the border, ready to enter. Time is of essence.   

Since the federal government enforced the weeklong national lockdown starting March 24, it has been consistently urging people to stay home. This makes sense. Around the world, the only corona-control method that seems to work is social distancing: the fewer the number of people you come in contact with, the lesser the chances of you catching the dreaded virus. Yet when the lockdown was announced, many people also asked a simple question: Can everyone afford to lock themselves in their homes? 
 
What about the daily wage earners who struggle to make their ends meet if they don’t work for a day? Or those with disabilities and the elderly living alone, who are running out of rations? The National Human Rights Commission on March 26 urged the government to look after the needs of these vulnerable groups during the lockdown. Undoubtedly, this should be the top government priority. But the problem extends beyond those vulnerable groups. People in general are confused about the terms of the lockdown. The government says they can easily buy daily necessities. But most shops supplying these essentials are now shut, as are the grocery stores. 
 
The shopkeepers say they are hesitant to stay open as they don’t have the protective gear to keep themselves safe. To make matters worse, the police are forcefully closing many retail shops in the mistaken belief that they are required to do so, in a clear case of communication gap. Green vegetables are in short supply. Even when they are available, the prices are high. As the country is in the lockdown for the long haul, it is important to get these seemingly small things right. 
 
After the initial panic, people have been cooperative in helping enforce the lockdown, despite constant rumors of shortages of daily essentials. But their patience will be tested the longer the shutdown continues. People are just not used to staying cooped up in their homes for long. To keep their frustration in check, a clear and honest messaging is vital. Regular press conferences will help: If the government is working in public interest, let people know about it. 
 
The formula is simple: Tell the truth and keep us informed. If the government bungles this duty at a time of national emergency, it will quickly lose public support, to potentially disastrous consequences.  
 

These are tough times. The sheer level of uncertainty over the novel coronavirus can make your head spin. What do you do? You would like to trust the government that there are no active corona cases in Nepal. But then you think about the paucity of tests here and come to the inevitable conclusion that there must be at least a few undetected cases. This thought makes you a touch panicky. If, tomorrow, a few cases suddenly crop up, won’t there be an absolute pandemonium in the market? In that case, won’t daily necessities like LP gas, edibles and even soaps to wash your hands quickly disappear from shop-shelves?

Better to hoard these essentials when you can still get them relatively easily. You have a family to look after, don’t you? Why take chances then? But if everybody started thinking along these lines, one thing is certain: most of the stocks of these essentials will go to their highest bidders while those of lesser means will have to make do with the little morsels left behind. The tendency to hoard during a crisis, while natural, is also selfish. 

Even today, besides the now indispensable facemasks and sanitizers, there does not seem to be an acute shortage of any other daily necessity. Although there was an initial panic when the virus first started spreading around the world, it quickly subsided. People can see that most things they need are easily available. India has vowed to continue with its exports to Nepal, and all our major border points are still open. Even if some private petrol pumps have hung up ‘No petrol’ signs, you can easily get some fuel at one of the government-run pumps. 

Do everything to keep you and your family safe from the dreaded virus. But there as yet is no need to panic about your next meal. Perhaps if people see the government folks are out there monitoring for artificial shortages, and punishing those responsible, they will be assured more. A crisis of this magnitude can be tackled only if the government, the businesses, the citizens, the civil society, the media—all act as responsible social actors.