With the festival season over, we are slowly slipping into the cold season with warm sunny days and cold mornings and evenings. The first snows have arrived up high and it won’t be long until we light our first fire of the year.
The biggest Hindu festivals of Dashain and Tihar came and went with muted celebration, as people were being careful to protect their elders and family members and not to make an already bad situation worse. Kathmandu was one big twinkle for Tihar, the one truly safe way everyone could mark the festival, but in steep contrast, the streets were silent as Deusi Bhailo caroling had been forbidden.
As promised the government opened up trekking and mountaineering activities back in October for all, international and domestic tourists. A few international tourists, mainly mountaineering expeditions jumped through the numerous hoops put in place for them to be able to come, while domestic trekkers couldn’t get out of the city and into the mountains quickly enough.
Given that the trekking routes were opened up with no pre planning or proper protocols to follow and all the focus was on what international visitors must/mustn’t have or do when here, the impact of the influx of so many people into these mostly Covid free areas was not a positive one.
Regions that were previously Covid free were seeing cases pop up. Local governments and wards were very wisely taking decisions into their own hands and closing down their regions or implementing strict quarantine rules, so trekking routes, lodges etc. that were open one day, were closed the next. Not exactly the smooth transition back into business everyone wanted to see, but given the desperation of many businesses to finally earn an income and clients to escape the city, one that isn’t surprising in the least.
So what have we been doing to move things forward in a positive and proactive manner, in order to get things up and running in a safe way for everyone involved ready for the spring season we hear you ask.
As mentioned in our previous update, Amrit and a small team of like-minded industry professionals trekked into Helambu at the end of September to assess the situation, talk to community stakeholders and government officials alike so they could start drafting Covid safe mountain protocols and creating training materials.
Off the back of this, the team was invited to head up to the Everest region by the local government to run Covid safe mountain trainings to lodge owners, community members, youth clubs and local government bodies. Alongside giving the trainings, they also took the time to train some trainers so that the flow of information didn’t just stop when they returned back to KTM, it could be followed up and rolled out further within the region.
The uptake for these trainings was tremendous and the desire to learn how to run safely and hygienically was really encouraging.
Off the back of this extremely successful trip, the team now intends to roll out the trainings throughout the main trekking regions of Nepal, to spread the word, educate the locals and most of all keep everyone safe and healthy.
The latest date being slated for when the country will open up for everyone to visit is now the 15th December, but of course this may change. As to what the requirements for entry will be at the time of opening is anyone’s guess, as the Ministry of Health is currently lobbying for a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving in country, as opposed to the current 7 day rule, but there are others trying to shout this down.
All we want is some sensible final decisions, based on expert opinion communicated in a timely, clear and precise manner that will enable us and everyone else in the industry, both at home and abroad to start planning for 2021, be that for the spring or autumn season. Will we get this? Well only time will tell.
Thankfully the mountains and beauty of Nepal will still be here when you are all allowed to travel again, and with Covid vaccines almost ready to be rolled out, it may be sooner rather than later.
Love, light, peace and patience.
Local communities, lodge owners and youth clubs attending Covid safe mountain protocols workshop
Starry night up in the mountains
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