Mayors of the Kathmandu Valley have expressed unhappiness over relaxation of prohibitory orders.
The forum of Valley mayors issuing a statement on Thursday has expressed displeasure with the decision taken by chief district officers (CDO) of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur on Wednesday to relax the prohibitory orders until September 9 midnight particularly the provision allowing shops related to construction to open from 2-9 pm.
The statement jointly signed by vice-chairman of the forum and Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Chiri Babau Maharjan and secretary of the forum and Mayor of Madhyapur Thimi Madan Sundar Shrestha says their attention has been drawn to the provision and urged the authorities concerned to stop operation of other businesses and shops keeping those delivering essential items and services until 11 in the morning pointing that allowing the shops selling construction materials to open from 2-9 pm will render prohibitory orders almost meaningless.
Mayor Shrestha revealed that the statement has been issued after virtual dialogue with chairman of the forum and Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Bidya Sundar Shakya who is currently in home isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
The latest extension relaxed prohibitory orders a bit. Sale and delivery of food grains, vegetables, milk and dairy products and other essential goods and services will be allowed, and stores selling these items will be opened until 11 in the morning. They were only allowed until 9:15 am earlier.
Similarly, shops related to construction will be allowed to open from 2-9 pm. Vehicles carrying construction materials will also be allowed into the Valley. They were not allowed earlier.
The administration also gave permission to educational institutions to conduct online classes. But they should be conducted complying with the safety protocols of the Health Ministry.
The Valley mayors earlier on Wednesday had called for a week-long curfew in the three districts concluding that the prohibitory orders failed to break the chain of infections. But the CDOs instead decided to relax the prohibitory orders.
