Kathmandu, Aug. 21 -- Streets of Kathmandu that would have otherwise been brimming with women in red singing at intersections were deserted on Friday during this year's Tij festival. Forty of Nepal 77 districts are under strict or partial lockdown amid a spike in Covid-19 cases.

Nepal registered 838 new Covid-19 cases on Friday taking the total to over 30,000. There were 11 more fatalities, with 137 deaths so far.

Pashupati, where fasting women used to line up the whole day at the Shiva temple, was completely empty on Friday. The only people there were mourners who were waiting to cremate relatives by the banks of the Bagmati, swollen by monsoon rain. Kathmandu Valley has become a Covid-19 hotspot in the past two weeks.

Most Nepali wom...