China suspends expeditions on Mount Everest
China has canceled every ascent of Mount Everest from its territory to avoid any risk of Covid-19 contamination by mountain climbers from Nepal. This has been reported by the official New China news agency.
China, which was the first country to be hit by the pandemic at the end of 2019, has largely contained the disease since then but fears a return from abroad. While its borders have been virtually closed since March 2020, China is now concerned about the risks on the snowy peak of the world’s highest mountain.
After all, Mount Everest is partly located in Nepal, which borders India. And India is walloped by a second wave of the coronavirus and the B.1617 variant.
“All climbing activities” on Everest have been “canceled” due to the health situation, New China reported. The news agency did not specify how long the measure will be in force.
