{"id":38605,"date":"2021-03-19T13:26:58","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T19:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=38605"},"modified":"2021-04-02T12:22:45","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T18:22:45","slug":"everest-2021-nepal-removes-quarantine-for-vaccinated-foreigners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/19\/everest-2021-nepal-removes-quarantine-for-vaccinated-foreigners\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2021: Nepal Removes Quarantine for Vaccinated Foreigners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Continuing a circuitous path for visitors to navigate, Nepal now says that if a foreigner has been vaccinated they can enter Nepal not go through quarantine. This includes trekkers and those climbing mountains such as Everest.<\/p>\n

Of course, this announcement comes as travelers are leaving for Nepal with schedules that factored in a seven-day quarantine thus Nepal will still financially benefit from the prolonged stay in Kathmandu, one of the most polluted<\/a> cities on earth. Perhaps visitors should take a side trip to Pokhara to avoid the pollution before going to the Khumbu.<\/p>\n

This headline in the Kathmandu Post<\/a> tells the story: “In a bid to boost tourism, Nepal lifts mandatory quarantine for vaccinated tourists<\/strong>” No mention of safety for foreigners or, more importantly, the indigenous population. Upon arrival in Nepal foreigners will need to present proof of vaccination, and proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure from their home country.<\/p>\n

However, as usual with most public “policies” it was first presented in newspapers with the caveat, “We will make the details public once we receive the copy of the decision.\u201d Typically we rarely see the actual rules so when it is ignored all involved save face.<\/p>\n

If you are going to Nepal, minimize your time in Kathmandu and expect the usually overcrowded teahouses, packed cheek to cheek with no masks insight. Perhaps camping and cooking your food is a better path this year.<\/p>\n

A Personal Story<\/h3>\n

This quarantine change had been rumored for a few weeks but given the uncertainty, and massive confusion around the visa process, most travelers trusted their operators and got on a plane. This is a story of a US citizen traveling to Everest Base Camp as a journalist what he went through this week:<\/p>\n

A freelance journalist is going to base camp to work on a few different stories. He was told that he needed to send his actual passport to the Nepal embassy in Los Angeles, but wasn\u2019t willing to \u201cgive it up\u201d for fear of it getting lost and not coming back. So, he opted for the letter from a Nepali operator and hopped on his flight. At every point \u2013 LAX, Ankara coming and going, Nepal \u2013 he was asked for the results of his COVID test. At the Ankara airport, there was a little concerned he didn\u2019t have a VISA at the first checkpoint. When he went to the next customs agent (again, not sure who he was talking to) they asked for his VISA and he simply handed them the \u201cletter\u201d from his Nepali operator which was written entirely in Nepalese. They looked it over, looked confused, didn\u2019t understand it and, he thinks, ultimately waved him through. He thinks they did that because it was the easiest thing to do.<\/p>\n

He was also told that because he\u2019s not with a tour he would need to quarantine for 14 days when he arrived unless he took a COVID test five days after arrival that had a negative result. He was told he needed to show a reservation at the airport for a hotel in Kathmandu that offered three meals during his quarantine. He made the reservation and the confirmation. When he arrived in Nepal no one asked who he was, where he was going, or to see his passport. He honestly doesn\u2019t think they have any idea where he is staying. He has no idea who to contact regarding obtaining a new COVID test in five days. The hotel operator has indicated he is free to come and go as he pleases. He doesn\u2019t think anyone really cares. He takes the coronavirus very seriously and will do everything they asked, but it\u2019s pretty clear they would never know if he did.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note his logistics were managed by one of the large, well-connected Nepali operators.<\/div>\n

Nepal COVID Status<\/h3>\n

As of this posting, Nepal added 125 new cases today taking the national total to 275,750. Kathmandu has seen 30 new cases in the last 34 hours. The national death toll is 3,016 for a country with approximately 29 million residents. The health ministry reports<\/a> 2,230,708 PCR tests have been conducted, 8% of the population.<\/p>\n

According to a report in the Record<\/a>, Nepal received its first set of vaccines from India in late January but waited a month to administer it to their elderly population. A second phase was scheduled to begin on March 7 to 3.7 million people 55 and older. They go on to suggest that only 450,000 Nepalis have been vaccinated as of March 4, far below the 10 million suggested by some as the trekking and climbing season begins in mid-March.<\/p>\n

Current\/Previous Quarantine Rules<\/h3>\n

This was the protocol<\/a> before the change announced today by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, for foreign tourists visiting Nepal for Mountaineering Expeditions and Trekking:<\/p>\n

1. All tourists coming to Nepal for mountaineering and trekking must acquire visa before arriving in Nepal<\/p>\n

2. In case of countries where visa provision for Nepal is not available, expedition teams or trekkers can coordinate with Travel and Trekking agencies based in Nepal for arrangement of prior approval to enter Nepal.<\/p>\n

3. For prior Visa approval the Nepal based Agencies must submit all prescribed details of the client\/s and relevant details to the Department of Tourism (DOT) for Expedition teams and the Nepal Tourism Board for Trekkers, for recommendation of Visa to the Department of Immigration.<\/p>\n

4. Tourists arriving in Nepal as per point 1, the visa shall be provisioned at the point of entry by the Department of Immigration.<\/p>\n

5. Tourists entering Nepal must present following documents at the entry point;<\/p>\n