The private sector has ramped up the pressure on the government to change the modality of the lockdown. After the government ignored repeated calls of business community to ease crippling restrictions on movement of people, transportation and business activities which is in place for the last 72 days, the private sector has started its push for ending the lockdown in the current form. All three umbrella organizations of the country’s private sector – Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) – have presented their recommendations on alternatives of the lockdown to the government. They have suggested demarking areas most affected by red colour, less affected by yellow colour and unaffected by green colour to allow businesses should to operate. According to them, it has become necessary to open industries and business enterprises by implementing health safety standards as the protracted lockdown has exacerbated their financial losses and that entrepreneurs have started to panic due to the worsening situation.  

The pressure of the private sector to open businesses is also seen as a counter to the government’s order to clear tax dues and submit tax details by June 7. The government, however, is yet to respond to the calls of the private sector. Business community members, who have been asking for change in the modality of lockdown since mid-April, have held a meeting with government officials on Tuesday which ended without any conclusion. In the meeting participated by the Coordinator of the high-level coronavirus response committee and Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokharel, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekh Raj Bhatta, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Basanta Kumar Nemwang, private sector representatives said that the risk from hunger is higher than it is from the Covid-19 disease and that business activities need to be resumed immediately. FNCCI President Bhawani Rana said that extending lockdown is not the solution to the problem and the government needs to facilitate the private sector to restart the country’s economic engine. NCC President Rajesh Kaji Shrestha urged that the government to seriously consider private sector’s suggestions. He hoped that the current situation will end soon as the government has showed seriousness this time.

The proposal presented by the private sector bodies include closure of all types of transportation from 8 PM to 5 AM, inter-state road transport, air travel, educational institutions, religious places, cinema halls, shopping malls, gym and sports centres and inter-district bus transport in all three (red, yellow and green) zones. Similarly, allow opening of restaurants for take-away of food items in green and yellow zone has been proposed. Likewise, allowing operation of essential items business, medical stores, OPD, diagnostic and pathology services, departmental stores, banks, insurance companies, cooperative institutions, courier and postal services, goods transport, industrial enterprises, agri businesses and construction sites has also been suggested.