Nepal’s government announced that it is canceling all summit access permits from March 14 to April 30 over fears of the novel coronavirus, following a similar clampdown by China, which canceled expeditions from its northern side of the mountain. “We have decided to halt all tourist visas until 30 April,” Narayan Prasad Bidari, secretary of the prime minister’s office, said Friday. “As of now, all issued permits and permits yet to be issued for the 2020 Everest season will be canceled.” Nepal nets around $4 million in climbing permits each year and benefits from other aspects of Everest tourism, but has determined that the risk over the virus outweighs the economic impact.
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