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Nepal resumes limited international flights, tourists still unwelcome
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A resident wearing a facemask sits as he reads a newspaper on an almost deserted Durbar Square area after restrictions were imposed by district officials to contain the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, in Kathmandu on August 30, 2020.
(AFp/Prakash Mathema)
N
epal on Tuesday resumed international flights for Nepali nationals, diplomats, and development partners after shutting down aviation for more than five months, an official said.
Tourists, however, will not be allowed to enter Nepal, said Rajan Poudel, a spokesman at the Tourism Ministry.
The government has set a daily cap of 500 arrivals. Also, those flying into Nepal will have to produce a PCR negative report dated no older than 72 hours before arriving in the country.
"After arriving here, passengers will have to stay in compulsory home quarantine for 14 days," Poudel said, adding, "In case an airline brings a passenger who cannot produce a PCR negative report, the airline will have to put the passenger on 14 days of quarantine in hotels here and bear all costs."
Nepal suspended all international flights on March 22. Ever since, only chartered flights have operated.
Read also: Nepal to reopen Everest to climbers despite coronavirus case rise
Domestic flights remain in suspension as the country grapples with a rising number of daily infections. The capital Kathmandu and several cities remain under lockdown.
As of Tuesday morning, Nepal had 39,460 confirmed infected cases. The death toll from the pandemic stood at 228.
"Our target is mainly Nepalese stuck in labor destinations like the Middle East, Malaysia, and South Korea," Poudel said, adding that the first commercial flights are expected to arrive by late Tuesday.
