COVID-19: 10,000 Foreigners Stranded in Nepal to be Evacuated

During a COVID-19 Control Committee meeting led by Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel on March 25, 2020, the Nepali Government has decided to evacuate foreign nationals stranded in Kathmandu.

The concerned foreign Embassies are exploring various flight options to airlift their citizens from Nepal.

There are an estimated 10,000 foreign tourists, mainly from the USA, Australia, France and New Zealand, stuck in Nepal owing to the stringent lockdown regulations in the country.

Some of the stranded foreigners include-

• 120 at Lukla
• 70 at Mustang
• 60 at Pokhara
• 200 at Everest Base Camp route
• 70 at Jomsom

Response by Foreign Embassies

• The Germany Embassy has organised two Qatar Airways ferry flights from Doha to airlift its citizens on March 28-29, 2020
• The French Embassy has organized Tara Air flight to evacuate their nationals
• The US, British and Australian Embassies are also planning evacuation flights for their citizens

Meanwhile, the Nepali Government has also decided to make necessary diplomatic efforts with other countries to ensure the safety of Nepalis residing there.

So far, Nepal has reported three coronavirus positive cases. However, the first case has already recovered and discharged.

Earlier, the Nepali Government took the decision for lockdown on March 23, 2020, after a second coronavirus case was confirmed in the nation.

As of now, around 24,117 people have died of COVID-19 globally and around 537,017 have been infected.

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