• Sudeep Chapagain, Aastha Singh, Prabina Basnet, Rasik Neupane, and Nirdesh Pokhrel.
• School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal.
• JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2021 May 25; 59 (237): 498-503.

IntroductionThe alarming rate of rise in COVID-19 cases led to lockdown in Nepal in order to curb the transmission and spread of the virus among the general public. This research was conducted to know the practices regarding the COVID-19 among the general population of Nepal. The aim of the study is to find out the value of different practices regarding COVID-19 which includes use of face masks, avoiding crowded places and hand hygiene.MethodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 509 online respondents residing 28th November to 15th December 2020 in Nepal. Ethical approval for the study was taken from the Nepal Health Research Council (Reference number 1350). Convenient sampling method was used. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Software Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data.ResultsOut of 509 participants, 492 (96.66%) (Confidence Interval= 95.1%-98.2%) uses mask, 437 (85.85%) (Confidence Interval= 82.82%-88.87%) avoided going to crowded places and 503 (98.82%) (95% Confidence Interval= 97.88%-99.76%) practiced hand hygiene during lockdown. Among 492 (96.66%) who wore face mask during the lockdown, 482 (94.69%) were still continuing using the face mask after the restriction was eased.ConclusionsThe study concludes good practices regarding COVID-19 among Nepalese population but is still not satisfying. This depicted adequate awareness among the public as a result of adequate dissemination of information and resources during the lockdown.

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