Separation line on Mount Everest by china government due to coronavirus. Following dozens of illnesses at the summit’s base camp, China will erect a “separation line” on Mount Everest’s summit to prevent possible Covid-19 infections by climbing from virus-stricken Nepal, according to state media.
While the virus first appeared in China in late 2019, it has been largely contained in the country thanks to a series of tight security measures and border closures.
As Nepal battles a deadly second wave of the virus, over 30 sick climbers have been evacuated from base camp on the Nepalese side of the world’s highest peak in recent weeks, raising fears that the virus will sabotage an otherwise successful climbing season.
Mount Everest lies on the border of China and Nepal, with China owning the north slope. The official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday that Tibetan authorities told reporters at a press conference that they would take “the most stringent epidemic preventative measures” to stop interacting between climbers on the north and south slopes or at the summit.
The head of the Tibet Mountaineering Association was quoted by Xinhua as saying that mountain guides will set up dividing lines on the mountain’s summit before allowing mountaineers to begin the difficult climb up.
The official gave no indication of the material that would be used to create the dividing lines. After being quarantined in Tibet since early April, twenty-one Chinese climbers have been authorised to attempt the summit of Everest this year, according to the official.
Non-climber tourists will not be allowed to enter the Everest scenic area, as the Chinese side will tighten virus standard precautions at the Chinese base camp on the northern side of the mountain.
Because of the virus outbreak, China has prohibited foreign nationals from climbing Everest since last year.
However, Nepal has issued a record number of climbing permits this year in an attempt to boost visitor numbers after the pandemic wreaked havoc on the country’s tourism industry through 2020.
An Everest permit alone costs $11,000 in Nepal, and climbers can expect to pay upwards of $40,000 for an expedition.
At any given time, more than a thousand people are camped at the bustling tent city at the foot of Everest on the Nepalese side, including foreign climbers and the Nepali guides who accompany them to the summit.
As infections spill over from India’s deadly second wave, Nepal’s daily case trajectory has risen dramatically in the last three weeks, with two out of every five people tested now testing positive.
