Covid Reaches Everest Base Camp, Symptoms Resemble Altitude Sickness

As of Wednesday, Nepal's tourism department had issued 377 climbing permits to foreign climbers attempting to scale Everest this year.

When Nepal welcomed foreign climbers back to Mount Everest for the spring climbing season, many feared it was only a matter of time before the coronavirus made its way to the world's highest peak. Sure enough, just weeks into the season, symptoms of the virus have been found at Everest's base camp, sparking a renewed debate about whether Nepal's reliance on the mountain as a source of revenue is getting in the way of safety. On Wednesday, Outside magazine first reported a climber at base camp had been evacuated by helicopter for what was believed to be high-altitude pulmonary edema and tested positive for the coronavirus upon arriving at a hospital in Kathmandu last week. The New York Times subsequently revealed that in fact there had been multiple climbers who tested positive after being flown out of base camp. The exact number of cases is unknown, and Nepal's tourism ministry did not respond to a request for comment.