20 bodies arrive in Nepal from Qatar

After flights were cancelled almost everywhere in the world due to the COVID-19 health crisis, which has left hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of cases diagnosed worldwide, the progressive return of air activity has made it possible for some twenty dead bodies to arrive in Nepal from Qatar. 

These corpses, corresponding to some workers at the facilities of the World Cup in Qatar who have suffered harsh working conditions and sweltering coronavirus without the necessary protective measures, began to arrive en masse after a long time in the territory of the Arab country waiting for them to be repatriated. 

An airplane was chartered for the return of Nepalese living and working abroad after the situation of the coronavirus pandemic had somewhat normalized, and this included these dead people from the Gulf country.

Thus, the 20 bodies recently arrived from Qatar after the flight to Nepal was scheduled. The Nepal Foreign Employment Board reported links from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. 

According to the Board, it will take some time to identify the bodies arriving from foreign territory and to send all the details of the corresponding district within Nepal to which each person concerned belongs. 

Dinbandhu Subedi, spokesman for the Overseas Employment Board, said the required data had arrived and it would take some time to accurately verify and identify the bodies. "We are organizing transportation to take each body to the district concerned," Dinbandhu Subedi himself told the Setopati publication, adding that the procedure "will take time. The official also reported that the Board manages the costs of bringing the bodies to Nepal from abroad and transporting them from the capital Kathmandu to the relevant district. 

When Nepal went into nationwide confinement on March 24 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it closed its borders to all immigrants from heavily infected countries, including the Nepalese themselves. In April, Nepal's Supreme Court issued a document ordering the Government to repatriate Nepalese living abroad; however, the Executive was slow to react, as Global Voices recalled. 

This situation provoked a strong protest from Nepalese citizens stranded abroad who were in a difficult situation because they were not receiving their salaries either. Given the lack of resources, they demanded to return home, which has recently begun to happen.