China to set up 'line of separation' at Mount Everest summit over COVID-19 fears

Amid coronavirus pandemic, China will set up a “line of separation” at the summit of Mount Everest in a bid to prevent the mingling of climbers from COVID-hit Nepal, state media Xinhua reported, after dozens were taken ill from the summit’s base camp. According to the news agency, over 30 sick climbers were evacuated from base camp on the Nepalese side of the world’s highest peak in recent weeks. With fears that the virus might ruin the bumper climbing season, Tibet’s sports bureau said that they will set up the separation line and would take “most stringent epidemic prevention measures” to avoid contact between climbers on the north and south slopes or at the top. 

The head of the Tibet Mountaineering Association said that mountain guides will set up dividing lines on the summit of the mountain before allowing mountaineers to start the gruelling climb up. The official further did not provide details on what the dividing lines would be made of. However, they said that 21 Chinese climbers have been approved to climb to the summit of Everest this year after having quarantined in Tibet since early April. 

Moreover, Xinhua reported that China will also step up virus control measures at the Chinese base camp on the northern side of the mountain, with non-climbers tourists in the Everest scenic area forbidden to enter. China has already banned foreign nationals from climbing Everest since last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But this year Nepal issued a record number of climbing permits in a bid to try and boost visitors after its tourism industry suffered a devastating blow through 2020 from the pandemic. 

COVID-19 outbreak 

It is worth mentioning that in recent weeks, Nepal’s daily case trajectory has shot up with two out of five people testing positive. On Friday, Nepal even reported 9,023 new cases, the country’s biggest one-day increase. Mainland China, on the other hand, reported 12 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, all of which involved travellers arriving from overseas.

Meanwhile, an Everest permit from Nepal costs $11,000 and climbers pay upward of $40,000 for an expedition. More than a thousand people are typically camped at the tent city at the foot of Everest on the Nepalese side at any one time, including foreign climbers and the teams of Nepali guides that escort them to the peak. The top of the 29,032-foot peak is a small mound of snow with barely enough space for half a dozen climbers and guides at any one time.

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