COVID-19: In fear of lockdown, people rush to stockpile essentials

Long queues outside petrol pumps and gas stations have become a regular phenomenon in Kathamandu. Markets across the Valley have been witnessing a shortage of fuel as people have started stockpiling the essentials amid fears of a possible spread of the coronavirus infection.

Kathmandu Valley has started to see a distribution crisis as consumers are panicking and rushing to buy the cooking gas cylinders.

"I got the gas cylinder 8-10 days before because I thought it would be difficult for me to get an LPG later. I won't blame the suppliers but the situation of panic which is creating a feeling of insecurity among people," said Bimal Ghimire, a resident of Anamnagar who came to the nearest gas depot to stockpile gas cylinders at home.

Ghimire himself had to wait for more than a week to buy a gas cylinder before the government announced lockdown over imports from India and other countries due to an increase in the rate of the infection.

The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has been regularly trying to convince the people about the proper supply of the essentials without any hurdles. NOC spokesperson Birendra Goit claimed more than 100, 00 cylinders are being supplied in the market on a daily basis.

"The flow of gas bullets and petroleum tankers are entering Nepal without any disruptions. On Sunday only 86 gas bullets entered Nepal from Raksaul in India. Out of the total, 38 came to Kathmandu while the remaining was distributed in other parts of the country. The public is responding to the panic caused for unknown reasons," Goit told ANI over the phone.

Rabita Paudel, the proprietor of the LPG Gas depot in Anamnagar, said that due to the infection, everyone here has been panicking. People also fear that they might not get anything to eat after the borders shut down.

Prior to the outbreak, Paudel said that the depot in Anamnagar used to sell up to 120 cylinders of gas on a daily basis which now has surged to over 200.

"The demand has skyrocketed these days. Despite having sustainable gas requirement people come to take more out of panic, some of them also trouble us more, I request them not to do so. Gas supply is normal, there is no shortage as we suspect and the government obviously would find a way out to continue the supply before the situation of scarcity arises," Paudel added.

Nepal, so far, has confirmed only one case of infection in January who has been completely cured of the infection.

At least 7,529 people globally have died from COVID-19, as the illness is officially known, while more than 180,000 infections have been confirmed in at least 150 countries and territories, according to the World Health Organization.