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United States asks its citizens not to travel to Nepal
The Level 4 Travel Advisory, the highest level issued by the Department of State, comes in response to Covid-19, as Nepal continues to report an increasing number of coronavirus cases.Post Report
The United States has asked its citizens not to travel to Nepal in view of increasing cases of the coronavirus in the country where daily new infections are inching closer to the 10,000 mark and the count of deaths is increasing by the day.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Nepal due to Covid-19, indicating a very high level of Covid-19 in the country,” reads an advisory posted on the website of the US embassy in Kathmandu. “On May 10, the State Department elevated the Travel Advisory for Nepal to Level 4–Do Not Travel.”
Nepal, which was reporting around 100 new cases a day until March, has been reporting a steady spike in coronavirus cases after the second hit the country in early April.
On Tuesday, Nepal reported 9,317 new coronavirus infections, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic began. The nationwide coronavirus infection tally has already crossed the 400,000 mark.
Covid-19 has claimed 3,859 lives in Nepal as of Tuesday. The number of active cases in the country stands at 97,008.
Nepal’s healthcare system is on the brink of a total collapse, as hospitals are turning away patients for a lack of beds and oxygen.
The current Level 4 Travel Advisory by the United States is the highest level issued by the Department of State.
The embassy has also requested US citizens to complete a form posted on its website (https://bit.ly/3eUPFC0) if they want to leave Nepal.
“Currently, regularly scheduled commercial flights departing Nepal are not available,” the embassy said in its notice. “The embassy has requested that the government of Nepal permit the operation of charter flights by airlines providing service to the United States. We are awaiting word of the government of Nepal approval for the operation of such flights.”
Nepal, which suspended all international flights–except two a week between Kathmandu and New Delhi–to and from Kathmandu from May 6 midnight in view of the rising coronavirus cases, said on Tuesday that the ban has been extended until May 31 midnight.
“If charter flights receive approval to operate, the embassy will send out information about how one can proceed to book a seat on one of the flights and purchase a charter flight ticket while reminding that travellers utilizing charter flights will be required to obtain any necessary PCR tests in order to fly,” said the embassy. “Testing will be at their own time and expense.”