Hundreds Of Climber Trapped In Nepal's Highlands When The Government Imposes A Lockdown

Kuri village in the Nepalese highlands (Anup Shrestha / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - About five hundred climbers from various countries are stranded, at least on four highland trekking routes in Nepal. Hundreds of these people could not return because the Nepalese Government was implementing a national lockdown policy to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The lockdown began on Tuesday, March 24 and will last for a week. This was conveyed directly by the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism of Nepal, Shradha Shrestha.

"We are working with various government agencies to rescue the climbers and bring them to Kathmandu, so we can coordinate with the embassy to fly them back to their home countries," Shrestha was quoted as saying by CNN, Friday, March 27.

"Some embassies, such as Germany and France are already planning to send charter flights to several areas to rescue climbers," added Shrestha.

Kuri Village in the highlands of Nepal (Anup Shrestha / Unsplash)

The agency has also launched a website to make it easier for stranded climbers to contact the authorities, so that the rescue and pick-up process can be faster, Shrestha said.

The British Embassy to Nepal in Kathmandu has also asked citizens wishing to return to the UK to send details of their whereabouts to staff for easy identification.

"We are working closely with operators and authorities to try to find a solution, and will contact you ASAP (as soon as possible)," said the British Embassy, via its official Twitter account.

The Nepalese government announced that early March would be mountain climbing season. In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, climbing Mount Himalayas and Mount Everet will be closed.

The permit to climb Mount Everest is closed until the end of April, said Nepal Tourism Minister Kedar Bahadur Adhikari. The decision comes at the start of this year's closely watched climbing season, which comes amid concerns about overcrowding at the world's highest peak.

The extreme altitude on the mountain causes the respiratory system to be slightly disrupted, so the outbreak of the coronavirus, which often causes respiratory problems, can become a nightmare for those at Mount Everest camp.

Nepal itself has three confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, according to Nepal's Ministry of Health data. Nepal's neighboring country, India, is also on a lockdown. Trucks are stranded at the border of the country and public transport is not operated. Police are strictly enforcing a lockdown and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensures essential public services will continue to operate.

To alleviate economic suffering during the lockdown, the Indian government announced it would provide 22.6 billion US dollars of funds to be transferred in cash directly to those in need and as food security needs.