Kathmandu, April 5 -- While most of Kathmandu has been forced indoors by the lockdown, Babu Pode still leaves home every day at 5:30 am. He goes to Kalimati, then Teku hospital and up to Tripureshwor, collecting garbage.

Pode is one 835 garbage collectors and sweepers employed by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and as an essential service, they continue to go from road-to-road-alley-to-alley collecting garbage and sweeping the streets. And most of them do so without adequate protection from the coronavirus.

"Everyone is inside, but we have no choice even though we are at very high risk of contracting the coronavirus," said 42-year-old Pode. "The city has just provided us with a surgical mask and gloves. We don't feel safe."

Alongside c...