Today is the 57th of the nationwide lockdown. But I do not feel the reason to complain about the situation. Reclining on my comfortable red chair sunken in the middle of my garden, I feel peace and calm. The rare reverberation of the chirping birds, so distinct from the times when the world just made it hard to indulge, in nature through the overshadowed cacophony outside gives one inner peace.

COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first outbreak was reported in December 2019. It has now affected more than 4.8 million people worldwide and the cases are increasing in Nepal, almost 400 cases have already been detected. The cases are increasing and we know it, yet the Ministry of Education is adamant about not cancelling the SEE. The education minister has been saying that the exams will be held two or three weeks after the lockdown. SEE/ SLC is a board exam that has been held since 1990 B.S. But is it necessary for all students to take this exam to complete grade 10 and to graduate to higher secondary or intermediate level education (12th grade)?

The world right now is facing a pandemic due to the novel coronavirus. It has become a threat to mankind. The global lockdowns have consequently affected all sectors of human life, among which, the education sector has been majorly affected.

As a tenth grader who is supposed to take the SEE exam but cannot due to the coronavirus pandemic, a thought is always circling in my mind: Will the exams be canceled? When will the exams start? Almost half a million students across the country are thinking the same. This is one of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in Nepal.

The coronavirus COVID -19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time. Cases are rising daily in Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It also has the potential to create devastating social, economic, and political crises that will leave deep scars around the world. Nepal is starting to suffer the most abrupt and widespread cessation of economic activity. The impact has already started and will only worsen in the coming days.

When the hospital informed us that my wife had tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), I believed that my entire family must have been infected by this fatal virus. All of us in the family were experiencing some kinds of symptoms including headache, cough, and fever. COVID-19 has already killed over 214,000 people all around the world and millions others infected by this continue their struggle for life. Luckily, my family is able to win the battle with COVID-19 after four weeks of fierce struggle and determination.

Europe has been the most affected continent by the COVID-19 pandemic. The death rate is rising every day. Daily life, business, tourism, and many other sectors have been affected by alarmingly. A large number of Nepalis work and live in Europe. They work in hotels, restaurants, and other tourism sectors here. Many European countries generate most of their income from tourism.

When you first appeared in China last December, no one cared. As you travelled across the globe, 197 countries are suffering from it. I came to know from www.worldometer.info that you have made 2,013,935 people sick and killed 127,587 people, as of April 19. Nearly 500,000 were able to successfully fight against you.

Coronavirus infections in Nepal rose to six on Thursday after a 65-year-old woman who returned to the country on March 17 from Belgium via Qatar transit tested positive for COVID-19.

KATHMANDU, March 25: Hours after the second coronavirus case confirmed in Kathmandu on March 23, the government said that the entire country would be under complete shutdown from the early next morning. Amid coronavirus outbreak fears, the government imposed the week-long lockdown to prevent people from stepping out of their homes and risking contagion.