LONDON – As the COVID-19 crisis roars on, so have debates about China’s role in it. Based on what is known, it is clear that some Chinese officials made a major error in late December and early January when they tried to prevent disclosures of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, even silencing health-care workers who tried to sound the alarm. China’s leaders will have to live with these mistakes, even if they succeed in resolving the crisis and adopting adequate measures to prevent a future outbreak.

Coronavirus pandemic is crushing lives around the world. And with countries imposing lockdowns urging citizens to stay home and halting non-essential businesses and industries in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, the electricity utilities, in particular, are increasingly finding themselves in a difficult situation across the globe. The reason is a simple cause and effect. With businesses and industries closed, economic activities contracted thus causing a drastic drop in the energy demand as an obvious effect hitting their revenue streams. Nepal’s electricity industry that has lately seen signs of positive momentum is no exception to this impact.

MUNICH – As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, the risks inherent in global supply chains are more apparent than ever. Rather than await a return to business as usual, with manufacturing activities concentrated in countries where labor is cheap and plentiful, advanced-economy companies are shifting their focus to the lowest-wage workers of all: robots.

The government postponed Secondary Education Examinations (SEE), board exams of grade XI and XII and all university examinations as the nation enforced lockdown to ensure the safety of citizens amid COVID-19 pandemic. The students who were preparing for the examinations are now locked up in their own houses and classes for other students have stopped altogether. In this situation, people have started to express concerns about the education of their children. Educators are likewise worried. Meanwhile, the debate has started on alternative ways of educating people while maintaining social distance.

The world is in a moment of absolute silence and mourning since the outbreak of COVID-19. Unexpected morbidity and mortality have challenged the world’s preparedness for disaster. Myriads of questions have evolved in each individual’s brain. It has become a challenge for humankind even in the modern era of science and technology. The pandemic outbreak has traumatized the world in such a way that it will take a long duration for its recovery.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought everyday life to a grinding halt across the world. Even though it is early to fully comprehend the damages caused by this pandemic both on public health and economic fronts, it is feared that this crisis will be of a never-before-seen magnitude and of a cascading nature—one crisis leading to another pushing the world into economic and humanitarian chaos of biblical proportions.

Communication in crisis is vital. Imagine how inordinate it would have been the intensity of coronavirus catastrophe up until now had there not been modern communication tools to prevent the spread of the virus. Effective communication is the most powerful weapon to fight the virus. Coping with the fright of deadly virus will largely depend upon how constructive messaging we can give to prevent its contagion. Proper flow of information at the right time can save the lives of people whereas its absence or misinformation can have shattering consequences.

“A law is the resolution of the whole people for the whole people, touching a matter that concerns all,” says Rousseau. If we endeavor to link this theory with the current approach of the state, we will come to learn how far the people have succeeded to advance general will in the battle against COVID-19.

LONDON – Euro zone finance ministers finally agreed on April 9 to a package of measures to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. But in the face of an unprecedented medical and economic emergency, they need to be much bolder.

OXFORD – The world that emerges from the coronavirus pandemic may be a warring collection of countries that are more closed off and nationalistic than before. But without rapid and effective global cooperation, the world may not exit this crisis safely at all.