KATHMANDU-NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal (NADA) has warned that the private sector will defy the lockdown imposed by the government and operate their businesses.
The meeting of the NADA’s executive committee held on Monday urged the government to review its decision to impose lockdown before the public starts to come out on the streets.
As the lockdown imposed by local administrations in the Kathmandu Valley is set to expire at midnight on Wednesday, NADA has decided to request the private sector to resume operation of their businesses starting Thursday.
Issuing a statement, NADA— the umbrella organization of automobile dealers of the country— has urged the government to review its decision of a lockdown being the main measure in trying to contain COVID-19.
“The lockdown has not only ravaged the economy of the country, but has also caused a terrifying unemployment problem,” read the statement, urging the government to create an environment that allows businesses to resume their operation by complying with necessary health protocols.
If the government does not lift its prohibitory orders soon, people will spontaneously begin defying the lockdown, warned NADA’s President Krishna Prasad Dulal.
Stating that the public have complied with the stay-at-home order for six months, he warned that there will now be a resistance to the government’s restrictions. He stated that only government employees and politicians have stood in favor of the lockdown.
“Government employees have never said that they should go to work. They have been saying that there should be a lockdown citing that coronavirus will spread because they have been receiving salary even if they stay at home. Except businessmen and industrialists, the voices for the lockdown are coming from either government employees or politicians,” he said.
Stating that none of the countries facing COVID-19 crisis has imposed lockdown for over 180 days, he urged the government to become serious about the economic impact of the containment measures.
