As the threat of coronavirus pandemic is looming, some local governments have stepped up efforts to produce face masks and hand sanitizers of which the residents across Nepal have faced acute shortage already. It is months since these two vital items to protect oneself from possible infection stopped being available in the market. Apart from black marketing, scarcity of these items is the result of our dependence on countries like China and India wherefrom we import them. It seems things are slowly changing.

KATHMANDU, Feb 7: The government has decided to send 100,000 protective masks to China to battle the coronavirus infection. In a meeting at the prime minsiter’s residence at Baluwatar on Thursday, the government decided to send the masks as there has been a shortage of protective masks in China, following the coronavirus outbreak.