This spring, tourists were allowed to continue climbing Mount Everest – although there was a violent second corona wave in Nepal. In the past few weeks, mountaineers and officials on the mountain had reported at least one hundred corona cases on Everest. However, the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism denied a major corona outbreak on Everest.
It is now clear that numerous corona cases have also been reported in the villages around the summit. Mainly people of the Sherpa tribe live there. Many of them lead foreign mountaineers to Everest or other mountains, carry their luggage or cook for them during the expedition.
Steady increase in infections
Since the first of them returned from Everest base camp in April, there has been a steady increase in infections in Pasang Lhamu, the head of the responsible health authority, Aarti Maya Tamang, told the dpa news agency. The community around the highest mountain in the world has around 9,000 inhabitants. The area is only partially accessible by car.
In 2020, shortly before the start of the Everest main season in spring, Nepal closed the mountain for climbs due to the corona pandemic. This spring, however, the government let in foreign adventurers again – and even issued a record number of 408 of them with climbing permits for 11,000 US dollars each. According to the UN, Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world and needs the money from abroad.
India’s neighbor in the second wave
The spring season ended last week. Dozens of mountaineers had canceled or broken off their expeditions before the start. Mount Everest is on the border between Nepal and China. China had not allowed any climbs this year.
Nepal is currently experiencing a violent second corona wave – as recently the neighboring country India, with which Nepal shares a 1770-kilometer, relatively open border. It was not until the beginning of May that Nepal closed 22 of the 35 border crossings to neighboring India, where daily infections have been increasing exponentially since mid-March. The Indian mutation is spreading accordingly in Nepal. (SDA / euc)
Published: June 9th, 2021, 27 minutes ago
Last updated: June 9, 2021, 21 minutes ago