Overview of Novel Corona virus (COVID-19) and its linkage to economy of Nepal

Corona viruses are single stranded, enveloped group of viruses which contain RNA genomes. Disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 is termed as COVID-19 which has a nucleic acid identical to some of the beta coronaviruses identified in bats. First identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, it has been causing an outbreak in 210 countries so far with a huge death toll. The disease is seen to be fatal to human health causing symptoms like Sneezing, Runny nose, Cough, Watery diarrhea, Fever in rare cases, Sore Throat, severe pneumonia. WHO has declared the outbreak as pandemic. It has several adverse impacts including downfall of the world's economy. World's GDP is expected to fall by 2.8%. Along with worlds, Nepal's economy may stumble if the outbreak persists for long. Nepal’s economy is suspected to be facing a drastic compression as Asian Development Bank (ADB) has prognosticated a decline in GDP to 5.3% in fiscal year 2020, down from 7.1% a year earlier. Prolonged cessation in economic activities will result in permanent loss in the economy of the country. Steps with patience to battle the spread of the pandemic are in urgent need.