Nepal's daily wagers walk home amid coronavirus lockdown

Stuck in the coronavirus lockdown without a source of income, thousands of daily wagers in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu and other cities have been forced to walk for days to reach home.

Life has become difficult, especially for those who have been staying in rented rooms in Kathmandu either for study, work or other purposes, as the country extended the lockdown period until April 27.

Daily wage earners have been hit worst due to the lockdown as they are running out of money and food items, although some of them have received relief packages distributed by the local authorities.

The lockdown, which began on March 24 has entered third week on Friday.

The month long lockdown has forced thousands of people to walk home as businesses have been shut down in cities.

Especially those working in construction sites and factories have been hit hard as the government has put in place strict measures to enforce the lockdown. Thousands of workers who depend on daily wages, whose income has dried up and left with no option but to leave for their homes were heading home during the night despite the ban on movement.

Painful stories of children, women and physically challenged people walking home hundreds of km are pouring in from across the country, according to local media report.

Some people have even braved to walk 400-500 km on foot to their home situated in far-West Nepal from Kathmandu as they did not have other options.

According to a media report, a group of 17 laborers had walked from Kathmandu to Rajapur, Bardiya in Western Nepal. It took them a week to reach home, covering a distance of 575 kilometers.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has urged the government to provide relief and make necessary arrangements for labourers, sick people and marginalized communities, who have been stranded on way to their home on foot.

The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, has expressed its concerns over the suffering of workers and daily wage earners due to lockdown restrictions.

The number of infected persons has remained constant at 16 for the past four days in the country. One person has already recovered from the disease. So far tests have been conducted on 7,688 people for Covid-19.