"To many stranded Nepalis, not enough flights", 22 Jul 2020

Even though Nepal has decided to pay for repatriation flights for some of its workers stranded overseas due to the COVID-19 crisis, there are just not enough flights to bring back the estimated 300,000 workers in the Gulf and Malaysia who want to come home. Only 30,000 Nepali workers have flown back in repatriation flights since 15 June, and even employers willing to pay for charter flights to send laid-off employees home are not getting permission from the airport authority in Kathman...The government has a cap on the number of daily repatriation flights because of the limited capacity to test, quarantine and transport workers on arrival at Kathmandu airport....Last week, Nepal issued a directive to pay for flying home some categories of Nepali workers stuck overseas using the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund....The directive recognises that displaced workers in their first year of contract are some of the most vulnerable given that they are still struggling to pay recruitment costs associated with their employment, often borrowed informally at back-breaking interest rates. It tries to hold recruiters and employers who profit from foreign employment accountable. Shrestha explained: “For workers with valid contracts, employers have the primary responsibility towards workers including buying return tickets. The recruiter is also jointly liable. We have to exhaust these options and ensure everyone is playing their part.”