Himalayan Covid denial on Everest
Nepal only closed its peaks in 2020 because of the pandemic, after bringing in more than $2 billion from climbing and trekking in 2019
In April at Mount Everest base camp, where climbers acclimatise to the extreme altitude before heading to the summit of the world’s highest peak, Jangbu Sherpa fell ill with a cough and fever.
At 17,590 feet, his symptoms quickly worsened. The expedition company that had hired Jangbu to help a Bahraini prince climb the Everest had him airlifted to a hospital in the capital, Kathmandu, where he tested positive for the coronavirus.
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He spent a week at the hospital and six days at home, and then was back at base camp. Experienced guides like him from Nepal’s high-mountain-dwelling Sherpa community were in short supply because of the pandemic, and the expedition company stood to lose thousands of dollars if the prince’s climb were cancelled.