The Cabinet meeting Wednesday evening is expected to decide relaxation of lockdown.
The Cabinet is likely to endorse the six stages of relaxing lockdown proposed by the COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) designed in the model adopted by the European country Georgia, according to a source.
The source added that the Cabinet will make some changes in the proposal the CCMC and adopt a five-stage reopening.
The Cabinet meeting earlier scheduled for two in the afternoon has been pushed to evening due to the House meeting, according to the prime minister's press advisor Ram Sharan Bajgai.
The CCMC has proposed two-pronged approach toward what it calls lockdown to loosedown including dividing places on the bases of infection and risks and gradually relaxing lockdown while focusing on countering risks; and lifting the lockdown adopting appropriate security measures.
It has proposed the central government making policy arrangements for lockdown to loosedown and implementing that through the local level.
It has proposed opening agricultural sector adopting appropriate safety measures and social distancing in the first stage. Hospitals will also be completely opened. Departmental stores, food stores, water and gas depots will be partially opened in the first stage while domestic flights will also be operated at 40 percent of seating capacity adopting safety measures.
Development-construction works and morning walk will also be allowed while government and private offices will be partially opened.
The second stage will start after two weeks of first stage following evaluation. Everything opened in the first stage will be relaxed further in the second while private vehicles and international flights have also been proposed for partial opening. Gyms, and hotel, restaurants and bars will also be partially opened.
The third stage will start after two weeks of second stage following evaluation. It has proposed completely opening agricultural sector. Odd-even measures will be adopted for private vehicles in big cities while public transportation will also be partially opened operating at 50 percent of seating capacity. Cottage and small industries will be opened while big ones will only be partially opened.
Schools and colleges will also be partially opened while development-construction works will be completely opened.
The fourth stage will start after two weeks of third stage following evaluation. Districts will be divided on the basis of infection, and everything apart from educational sector will be completely opened in districts free of infection. Gyms, sports, fancy stores, salons and beauty parlors will be completely opened there.
The districts with infection will operate at the third stage with further relaxations. Big industries will be in complete operation there.
The fifth stage will start after two weeks of fourth stage following evaluation. International flights will also resume completely with safety precautions. Theatres, malls, tourist spots, hotels, restaurants, and bars will also be completely opened. Places of religious worship, and all government and private offices will be opened.
The sixth stage will be complete return to normalcy after the World Health Organization announces end of pandemic.
The CCMC has pointed at some challenges while relaxing the lockdown including security and financial challenges. It has pointed at the challenge of managing a large number of Nepalis returning from India and abroad.
It has also pointed at problems in food supplies and rise in number of infections as the economy reopens.
