COVID-19 Nepal: Updates and Advices
22nd July 2020
Nepal Tourism Commence | Government allows tourism activities for the upcoming season
On 21 July 2020, a high-level committee announced that all tourism-related activities will resume for the upcoming autumn season. With the resume of international commercial passenger flights, the government has announced that all trekking, climbing and other tourism-related activities can commence. Trekking and climbing permits will be issued for the upcoming season.
More detail on this news is still weak as the government is still deciding with stakeholders and experts on the arrival protocol. Procurement of visa, self-quarantine, PCR test report submission etc. are still in the decision and we expect to hear more confirmed news on this soon.
The situation on the mountain will be completely different for this season and as a responsible adventure company, we will strictly adhere to the safety protocol and operation guidelines set by the government of Nepal. Read what you should expect if you are travelling to Nepal this autumn.
Once, we have more details on the safety and arrival protocol, we will update it accordingly.
21st July 2020
International and Domestic flights to be resumed
Nepal is resuming international and domestic flights from August 17, 2020. All flights were suspended with the imposition of nationwide lockdown since March 24. A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on 20th July 2020 made a decision to resume the flight. The government has directed the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to make necessary arrangements for the safe operations of all flights from August 17.
No further clarifications regarding the arrival and safety measures for the tourists are made at the moment.
24th June 2020
Operational Guideline with Health protocol for the Tourism sector published
Government of Nepal in collaboration with Nepal Tourism Board and other tourism organization published safety protocols and operational guideline for the tourism sector. Considering the looming crash in economy and job losses, once the Lockdown reopens, the tourism sector will have to look into reopening with safety and hygiene protocols in place. Keeping in mind that the health and safety of people: employees and guests is our first and foremost priority, safety guidelines and protocols need to be implicitly followed once the Lockdown is removed.
The government has requested everyone to strictly apply the safety protocol and guidelines (New Normal), for the tourism sector to be resumed soon.
15th June 2020
Ease of government lockdown
Nepal government has partially lifted the lockdown in the less affected areas. The lockdown has been eased in Kathmandu and other less risky areas. However, a public crowd of no more than 25 people are allowed and the restaurant, bar and entertainment houses still remain closed. All international and domestic commercial passenger flights still remain closed.
Highly affected areas by a coronavirus in Nepal are still under lockdown. The number of cases has gone up exponentially in recent days due to people returning home from India and foreign nations.
16 April 2020
25 Days of Lockdown in Nepal | Amended Trip Booking Policy
Nepal has been under a full lockdown since the last 25 days. Government of Nepal has extended the lockdown period till April 27 after a few new cases of COVID-19 were discovered in Nepal. Till date, 16 cases of COVID-19 has been registered in Nepal.
All international flights and borders are closed until April 30. If required, the government has also announced to extend the closure of airport and border beyond that date as well.
We are closely monitoring the situation in Nepal and we will be updating our clients accordingly. In the meantime, we are hopeful the travel will resume for the Fall/Autumn season 2019.
We are accepting bookings for the coming season and 2021. We have amended our trip booking policy to provide travellers to book the trip without any deposit payable. We hope this will provide something to look forward to during this unprecedented time.
You can now simply book your desired trip for future dates by filling a booking form and sending us your passport copies. Your booking will be secured and you are only required to pay the deposit if the trip is guaranteed to run.
We will also update you with the ongoing situation and provide useful information in preparing for the trip.
16th March 2020
Announcement of trip postponed between dates of 16th March and 31st May 2020
It is with heavy heart, that we announce that all our trips departing between 16th March and 31st May 2020 including (India, Tibet and Bhutan) are all suspended due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. With the rapidly changing situation around the world, travel restrictions and quarantines, it is in the best interest of our clients and staff to suspend all the trips departing from 16th March to 31st May 2020 for the time being.
Department of Immigration Nepal has announced on 13th March 2020 to suspend the Visa on arrival for all nationalities. All though visitors are still allowed to visit Nepal after obtaining Nepal visa from their respected countries, they are subjected to stay at self-quarantine for 14 days from the date of their arrival in Nepal. We have looked at every possible measure to operate the trip but considering your safety of our utmost priority, we have decided to suspend all trips departing between 16th March and 31st May 2020. As of now, no changes or alternations are required for our Autumn trips and we will update you about the situation at a nearer date. All the autumn trips are unaffected and guaranteed to run as per the schedule.
At Highland Expeditions, we recognize and value each of our client’s effort in preparing and training for the trip. We understand how much this has impacted you but with the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, your safety and wellness is our priority.
We look forward to guiding you in our part of the world very soon and we thank you for your patience in these unprecedented times.
You can contact us via email for any concerns or questions.
Kathmandu | 26 February
This is to bring you all the updates on the current status of Nepal regarding the threat of the Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID 19).
- Ministry of Health Government of Nepal has confirmed the only ‘positive’ case registered so far has been a Nepali National, who is now fully recovered. He has been discharged from the hospital within the week once the last observations on the test results were done.
(Source: Ministry of Health, Government of Nepal) - To date, besides the above-mentioned case, no other Nepali or citizen of another country has been identified as being infected by the virus.
(Source: Ministry of Health, Government of Nepal) - The 175 university students and Nepali nationals who were brought to Nepal on 14th of Feb 2020, from Wuhan, China were sent to the special quarantine unit away from the human settlements with all the modern testing and monitoring facilities. They will remain in quarantine for 2 weeks before their discharge. So far none of them has shown signs of infection nor confirmed as being infected by the virus.
(Source: Ministry of Health, Government of Nepal) - The security measures taken at the Airport, Borders and Hospitals etc are still active in the same manner and a special task force team is actively overseeing the measures taken, under the direct supervision of the ministry of health. The ministry is also furnishing a daily SITREP to the World Health Organization
(Source: Ministry of Health & Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal) - Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital (STIDH) – Kathmandu is now equipped with a special unit with all the required medical/staffing facilities and is ready to serve the public in any situation that might occur. Other hospitals under the instruction of the Ministry of Health have certain sections isolated and kept ready for any eventuality should that arise.
(Source: Ministry of Health, Government of Nepal) - Steps are already been taken to create awareness on the outbreak among tourism industry and general. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Health and Nepal Tourism Board are working closely to combat the spread of the coronavirus within all tourist hotspots of the country. The government is vigilant to ensure the safety of everyone.
As such, we are pleased to inform you that we are doing our best to keep Nepal safe with whatever resources we have from the COVID 19 threat. Should there be any changes on the ground we will keep you updated
As of now, no cancellations or alterations are required for travel to Nepal
Please visit the World Health Organization (WHO) link for safety tips while travelling.
Watch this space for future updates
Any future updates and notices with regards to Coronavirus impact on our trips will be made here. So we advise you to watch out this space for more updates and notices. We will be updating news and regulations as informed to us by the government regarding Nepal tourism.
As of today, there is no need to cancel or alter your autumn/fall 2020 travel plans. We have heard that the flights will likely be resumed from Aug 1st but we will confirm once we hear more about it. In the meantime, we will closely monitor the situation and advise you accordingly should there be any changes.
Rest assured that we will do our best in providing you with better customer experience. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your travel plans, please feel free to contact us.
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