The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Nepal has claimed there are no health risks in Everest Base Camp EBC. In the wake of various news of mountaineers in EBC contracting Covid-19 spreading, the Ministry has taken out a press release to clarify there are no health risks at EBC.
In recent times, some media houses both inside and outside the country had spread the covid-19 news at EBC. The Ministry informed 86 groups of 774 mountaineers from across 79 countries had taken expedition permit in the last Spring, all of them had been following the safety protocols issued by the Government and practicing the mountaineering activities including Everest Expedition as far possible. Ministry Spokesperson Taranath Adhikari added that the Tourism Department has mobilized information officers to each group for collecting updates on expedition activities, incidents and valuable news.
As the health situation of the mountaineers is determined from the information collected from the group leaders and the site inspection, the release ascertained the ministry has not received any such news on COVID-19 contraction at EBC till date. In a situation where the authorized bodies have not disseminated any such information, the Ministry has urged all the concerned groups not to spread false news that can create fear among the mountaineers’ families and directed to publish information that has only been disseminated via authorized bodies.
In addition, the ministry has also informed that COVID Crisis Management and Coordination Unit has been formed under the convenorship of joint secretary Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane in order to rescue mountaineers and trekkers in difficult condition, take them to safe destination and make proper management. Department Director Mira Acharya informed a group of 11 Sherpa guides under Kami Rita Sherpa’s leadership has scaled the Everest, officially fixed ropes on icy routes of the Mountain on Friday evening, marking its first commercial expedition for this Spring. Kami Rita has broken his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak, scaling it for the 25th time Friday at 6 p.m.
