Everest is through the roof in Covid-19 infection count

Staff working on Mount Everest confirmed to the BBC that 17 foreign climbers had to be withdrawn from the southern base camp of the mountain range shared by China and Nepalbecause they were showing symptoms of Covid-19.

So far, the government of Nepal has said it is unaware that Covid-19 patients have been recorded on Mount Everest. However, he requested that if so, climbers remain in quarantine in Nepal before embarking on the ascent of the Asian mountain range.

Everest has two ascent routes: one in the northeast, with a base camp in Tibet; and another south-east, via Nepal. The southern base camps, at 5,364 meters above sea level, are on the busiest route for climbers. In addition, several other climbers were isolated for showing suspicious symptoms.

Most of them have been transferred to various health centers in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

As reported to the BBC channel by the CIWEC clinic, specializing in travel medicine, all who had arrived at its facilities in the Nepalese capital were positive cases of the coronavirus. They will remain there cared for and cared for, since the place, opened in 1982, offers technology that meets the standards of Western medicine.

Everest, an expensive roof

Climbing the mythical summit of Mount Everest is a journey which, if completed, takes two months and costs $ 42,000. The first high season takes place between April and June; the second, between September and October. It takes prolonged and extreme pre-training to reach the 8,848.86-meter summit and the southern route is the most recommended. This is where the confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been recorded.

Everest receives around 800 climbers a year and while that means pollution, it also makes a profit. 2019 has been a great year and the mountain administrators collected 11 tons of waste from Everest base camps and villages that also fulfill this role in the upward journey: Namche Bazaar (at 3440 meters), Dingboche ( at 4260 meters), Gorakshep (5140 meters), Kala Patthar (5545 meters) and finally the southern base camp.

At each of these stops, climbers typically stay a minimum of two days to acclimatize and avoid the physical risks caused by altitude sickness. At each of these stops there are shelters, stores, food and drink; items that are transported by “Sherpas”, with the help of pack animals. On the top of the planet, undoubtedly, there is usually a high traffic.

Covid-19 on Everest

In 2020, the pandemic deprived the government of mountain tourism and therefore one of its biggest revenues. All climbers fly to Kathmandu then take another plane to Lukla, the starting point for the overland journey to this part of the Himalayan mountains. That is to say, from movida, two round plane tickets that are already in Nepal.

In October, Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain “saved” them by paying $ 1.5 million to close Mount Manaslu for climb alone with his entourage. A real gift from heaven that they did not believe to be repeated in 2021.

With this in mind, this spring the government lifted certain restrictions and issued around 100 promotion permits. To date, “only” 2.2 tonnes of plastics, bottles and waste were removed recyclable at base camp. A sign of loss of revenue and visitors.

Nepal, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, has recorded 351,005 coronavirus cases and 3,417 deaths so far, but the number of cases has increased significantly in recent weeks, exceeding the daily average of 7,300 new patients. Nepal has the highest infection rate among the countries bordering India.

mm / ds