China will set up a quarantine line to avoid the spread of infections brought by climbers from Nepal, where the outbreak is heating up, after dozens of people were diagnosed with COVID-19 at the base camp on the Nepalese side of the Virgin Peak, according to Xinhua, the official Communist Party media.
Although the new coronavirus first appeared in China in late 2019, the outbreak has been contained through a series of strict city and border closures.
Our Lady of Sorrows Peak is located on the border between China and Nepal, with the northern slopes belonging to China. More than 30 sick climbers have been evacuated from base camps on the Nepalese side of the world’s highest mountain in recent weeks, and with Nepal facing a second wave of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak, there are fears that the rising epidemic could derail the climbing season.
The official Xinhua news agency reported that Tibetan authorities said at a press conference that they would take the “strictest quarantine measures” to avoid contact with climbers between the north and south slopes and on the summit.
The report quoted the secretary-general of the Tibetan Mountaineering Association, Tsering Sangdrup, as saying that a separation line would be set up on the north slope of the Virgin Peak to prohibit any contact between people on the north and south slopes, and to prohibit any contact between Chinese climbers and objects hanging on the peak in Nepal.
The Tibetan Mountaineering Association said that since early April, 21 Chinese climbers have been allowed to climb Our Lady’s Peak after being quarantined in Tibet. The authorities will also strengthen virus prevention and control measures at the Chinese base camp on the North Slope and ban non-climbers from entering the scenic area of Our Lady’s Peak.
Affected by the outbreak of the epidemic, China has banned foreigners from climbing Our Lady’s Peak since last year, but this year Nepal has issued a record number of climbing permits, trying to boost the tourism industry hit hard by the epidemic last year.
According to the report, it costs $11,000 to obtain a permit for Our Lady of Mountains from Nepal alone, and climbers have to pay more than $40,000 to embark on an expedition to Our Lady of Mountains.
Xinhua News Agency pointed out that the Tibet Autonomous Region Sports Bureau director Nima Tsering said, except at the summit, the climbers in the north and south slopes of the climbing path without the opportunity to meet. He studied and judged that this year’s climbing season will not be cancelled, but the Tibetan climbing guide team will take strict isolation measures at the summit and set up a separation line at the summit to prohibit any personnel from crossing the line or coming into contact with each other on the north and south slopes.
The Chinese side is taking strict prevention and control on the north slope, and people not related to mountaineering activities are not allowed to enter; camp procurement staff and other people returning from their trips need to be disinfected, have their body temperature taken and live in separate isolation; work vehicles also need to be disinfected before they can enter the camp; the camp is equipped with a large amount of medical disinfectant, masks, medical trash cans and other epidemic prevention materials.
Tents, canteens, bathrooms and common areas are disinfected daily; people with abnormal health conditions are sent to a medical observation room 100 meters outside the base camp.
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