As the number of COVID-19 cases in the world continues to rise, many countries have begun reinstating travel restrictions for foreign travellers, particularly those from high-risk countries.
Nepal has now joined the list and announced that all international arrivals will be required to have a negative RT-PCR (Covid-19) test.
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Nepal Airlines, the country’s flag carrier on Sunday announced that Nepal again has made the COVID-19 negative reports mandatory for all international passengers. Nepal Airlines informed all passengers that passengers arriving from the international sector must present a COVID-19 international certificate or a COVID-19 PCR negative report.
According to a report of ANI, a joint spokesperson at Nepal Airlines said that “We have come to this decision in wake of the rising COVID-19 cases worldwide.”
However, according to the official, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) made this decision earlier on December 23, 2022.
“CAAN made the decision to mandatorily present the Covid-19 international certificate or PCR negative report. We have issued the notice as per the decision of the regulatory body,” the official added.
Nepal, which had been closed since the pandemic’s outbreak in early 2020, reopened its doors to tourists on March 10 last year, removing all pre-arrival testing requirements for fully vaxxed visitors in an effort to revitalise its moribund tourism industry.
The latest decision comes at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases in China is on the rise. The Himalayan nation’s northern neighbours have also lifted all restrictions, which is slowly but steadily spreading the contagion globally.
It is important to note here that a lot of countries including India, the US, the UK, Italy, France, Japan etc. have already imposed restrictions on Chinese travellers and required a negative Covid-19 report in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
(With Inputs From ANI)