"SC asks govt to bring back migrant Nepalis stranded in foreign lands", 16 April 2020

The Supreme Court today issued an interim order to the government asking it to take care of the health needs of Nepali migrant workers living in foreign countries and to repatriate vulnerable Nepali workers from foreign countries to Nepal.

...The court asked the government to seek through Nepali embassies the details of Nepali migrants suffering from COVID-19 in foreign countries and to ensure that they were getting treatment as per World Health Organisation rules without any discrimination. The court ordered the government to bring back vulnerable Nepali migrants from foreign countries in the face of COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring that larger population was not at risk of COVID-19 infection due to reckless entry of migrants from foreign countries.

The SC pointed out that the Government of Nepal could not ignore the plight of Nepali migrants who had been contributing greatly to the nation’s economy but had lost their jobs and faced difficulties. The apex court observed that Nepali migrants living in foreign countries were at risk of COVID-19 infection and those who had contracted the virus could lack access to treatment in foreign countries.