Probable Exit Strategy Against COVID-19 of Low Resource Country like Nepal: Open Floor Discussion

Abstract

Lockdown is essential for containing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. It is the best measure to maintainextreme social distancing which has been effective in controlling the infection and saving lives.But they are causing huge loss economically, disrupting social life and causing distress around theworld. Reopening too quickly or too boldly without a goal-oriented strategy could mean a secondwave of infection as fierce or even worse as the first. The fundamentals of the virus remain the same –one infected person will, without a lockdown pass it onto three others on average. The consequencesof lifting the lockdown are unforeseeable and the stakes are high. Due to the different spectrumof severity with same strain of virus and uncertainty of post lockdown era, lifting the lockdownwill be a trial and error approach. Nevertheless, at some point the lockdown has to be lifted. Thestrategic approach would be innumerable testing, investigations, strong contact tracing, isolationand follow-up. In a low-income country like Nepal, this will mean negotiating a tricky balancebetween terminating the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and allowing people to recover their livelihoodsbefore they slip into extreme poverty and anguish.