Strategic and accessible COVID-19 prevention in rural Nepal

In Nepal, a government announcement of lock down due to COVID-19 in late March resulted in a significant number of people returning from India and urban centres to rural Nepal. The risk of spreading the disease was considered to have increased due to this mobility across the country and the Nepalese government identified the need to establish specific locations for testing and isolation.

In rural areas, many of these specified places do not have sufficient WASH facilities. Responding to the local governments priorities and with a focus on effective responses, SNV Nepal and its local partners supported the rapid installation of accessible hand washing stations at 130 strategic locations where such interventions would have the most impact in preventing the spread of COVID-19. This included health care facilities, quarantine areas and public places within communities. This was accompanied by hygiene promotion messaging in line with global advice, but adapted to the local context.