China will create a ‘separation line’ on top of Mount Everest as a precautionary measure so that climbers from Covid-hit Nepal and those who scale the peak from Tibet do not mingle, says Chinese state media.
The Everest base camp in Nepal has been hit by Covid-19 cases as the country battles a second wave, and several climbers have been evacuated.
Mountain guides will set up dividing lines on the summit before climbers begin the upward journey, Xinhua quoted the head of the Tibet Mountaineering Association as saying.
Twenty-one Chinese climbers have been approved to undertake the journey to the summit of Everest this year after having quarantined in Tibet since early April, he added.
China has banned foreign nationals from scaling Everest since last year due to the virus outbreak. But this year Nepal has issued a record number of climbing permits to try and boost visitors after its tourism industry suffered a blow last year due to the pandemic.
