Comprehensive and coordinated approach involving security agencies a must to deal with COVID-19 pandemic

KATHMANDU, June 8: Security experts have underscored the need to introduce a comprehensive and coordinated approach that involves security agencies to deal with the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Addressing a webinar organized by Nepal Centre for Security Governance (NCSG) on the "Role of Security Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic”, security experts and security professionals drawing from Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) expressed fear that the COVID-19 situation that is getting worse by each passing day could severely jeopardize the overall human security condition if such a comprehensive and coordinated approach is not adopted.

The participants, including lawmakers, academicians/scholars and rights activists maintained that Nepal needs a coordinated approach, involving all possible sectors and stakeholders to deal with this difficult situation rather than getting involved in blame-game. The experts also concluded that although the government through nationwide lockdown bought valuable time to get prepared on preventive and control measures, it largely failed to take advantage of the favourable situation due to lack of proactiveness and necessary planning.

Those taking part in the webinar included Lieutenant General (Retd) of Nepal Army Bala Nanda Sharma, Brigadier General (Retd) of Nepal Army Suresh Raj Sharma, Additional Inspector General (Retd) of Nepal Police Navaraj Dhakal, Additional Inspector General (Retd) of Armed Police Force (APF) Rabi Raj Thapa, Deputy Inspector General (Retd) of Nepal Police Hemanta Malla Thakuri, lawmaker Deepak Prakash Bhatta and security experts Shambhu Ram Simkhad and Indra Adhikari.

Addressing the webinar, the experts maintained that the government had failed to learn from the experience of other countries, and continued showing its sloppiness despite repeated alarm from the World Health Organization (WHO). “The government and its infection control mechanism (including CCMC) lacked farsightedness to comprehend the wide-ranging implications of the pandemic,” said a press statement issued by the NCSG.

The experts suggested the government to mobilize security agencies more effectively to bring back Nepali migrant workers from borders in a more organized manner and handle the quarantine centers as per the guidelines of WHO. Arguing that the failure to handle the quarantine facility properly had caused sudden growth growth in the number of COVID-19 cases, they also suggested the government to focus on reinforcing hospitals and health facilities, scale-up quarantines facilities, mobilize youth and civil society organizations in coordinated manner to effectively respond to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.