Right to food during Kathmandu lockdown: The derogation of the non-derogable right

With the second wave of the Covid-19, district administration officers of the Kathmandu valley implemented the prohibitory order in the valley from April 29. It has been extended up to June 3 with the May 25 decision . Even during the prohibitory order, department stores, groceries and other stores providing necessary services were functioning up to 10 am in the morning. But now, the CDOs have prohibited the functioning of groceries and department stores up to June 3.

Whereas the stores are functioning till 10 am in the morning, we can see numbers of people outside the grocery stores to buy essentials within the time limit. The availability of a shorter time frame for shopping the grocery has raised the risk of Covid-19 as customers in a high number gather outside the grocery stores in that particular period. Therefore, the government should have thought about functioning groceries and departmental stores for a longer time, but it has decided to completely close these stores for one week. Interestingly, it has ensured the availability of luxury items like meat and fruits till 9 am on a daily basis.