Coronavirus scare forces Nepal to shut Everest access

The Nepal government has cancelled all expeditions to Mount Everest, until further notice, due to novel coronavirus outbreak.

The decision effectively ends all expedition attempts on the Everest for the year.

The China Tibet Mountaineering Association, the body that issues climbing permits, notified expeditions on Wednesday that all Everest ascents from the northern side had been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to Kathmandu Post.

In the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak, China has already cancelled all expeditions on the Everest from the Tibetan side.

A high-level coordination committee led by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel took several decisions to contain the virus on Thursday, one of which was to suspend issuing on-arrival visas.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus, many countries including India and the United States have suspended international visas as a control measure.

India temporarily suspended almost all travel visas starting Friday as part of its efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.