Kathmandu, Aug. 24 -- Today, 24 August marks five months since the Nepal government announceda nationwide lockdownto control the spread of the coronavirus.

Only thesecond confirmed Covid-19 casehad been detected from a student who flew in from Paris, and Nepal was one of the first countries in the region to shut down all business, flights and transport.

After four months, with theeconomy on the verge of collapseand government revenue plummeting, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada announced on 21 July that thelockdown was lifted It was not, but he wanted to boost the confidence of people, and revive the economy.

It was a mistake. Indian workers poured back across the border to the industrial corridors of the Tarai. Parsa, which had no n...