Communist virus climbs world’s highest peak! The Nepalese government reopened the climbing of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (Our Lady), a few weeks ago, but on the 23rd it was announced that a Norwegian climber and his guide, Sherpa, had both been diagnosed and had thankfully recovered. For the tourism industry, which is highly dependent on mountain tourism income, tourists infected with the disease is undoubtedly a major blow.
Norwegian climber Ness (ErlendNess) told the BBC that he felt ill on the mountain for about six days before being evacuated by helicopter from the slopes of Mount Everest to the base camp at the foot of the mountain on the 15th, and then transported to a hospital in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, where he tested positive for the virus three times and was diagnosed with the new crown pneumonia. Ness said he had recovered and tested negative on the 22nd, and is currently staying in the city with friends.
In an interview, Ness said he “sincerely hopes that others will not contract the CCP virus in the high mountains, where evacuation by helicopter is simply not possible at over 8 kilometers above sea level.” He wasn’t sure how he contracted the disease, but said it was probably at one of the lodges in the KhumbuValley in the Everest region. Ness said he should have taken more precautions to protect himself, including washing his hands regularly and wearing a mask, “which not many people wear along the way.”
Austria’s famous mountain guide Fu Tengbach warned that if precautionary measures are not implemented on the mountain and tests are not conducted immediately, the Chinese Communist virus could spread rapidly and infect hundreds of climbers, guides and logisticians at the Everest base camp. Any outbreak of infection on the mountain would be tantamount to calling an end to the climbing season.
The spring climbing season in Nepal, which runs from March to May each year, sees hundreds of foreign climbers flock to challenge the country’s well-known peaks. Affected by the outbreak, the country announced the closure of its climbing trails for one year last March and only recently announced their reopening. All travelers must have a negative virus test report within 72 hours to enter the country.
In addition to tourism revenue, Nepal can earn about $4 million a year by issuing climbing permits. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, a total of 113 climbing permits have been issued for 14 teams for the spring 2021 climbing season.
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