Nepal’s Kathmandu valley goes into lockdown, mandatory quarantine for foreigners

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Nepal’s Kathmandu valley has gone into a second lockdown from Thursday morning for two weeks to contain the spread of Covid-19. The Himalayan country has also made quarantine mandatory for everyone, the Kathmandu Post said.</p>
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Besides, a foreigner travelling to Kathmandu around this time will also have to go in for a 10-day quarantine. A negative Covid 19 test done within 72 hours of the travel date also needs to be produced by the foreign travellers. They are also mandated to specify the country of origin</p>
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According to the newspaper, only Indian citizens are allowed to enter Nepal overland through the southern border points. India and Nepal share an 1880 km border – which is an open one.</p>
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“Similarly, only Chinese nationals are allowed to enter Nepal through the northern border points by land,” the newspaper said.</p>
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Inflow of tourists into the country has slowed down due to the pandemic. Only last month, in a bid to boost tourism — one of the primary industries in the country—the Nepalese government had decided to remove the quarantine requirement for foreigners. This was also done keeping in mind that spring season is the only time foreigners are allowed to climb the 8,848.86-metre tall Mt Everest.</p>