Nepal’s government has decided to resume chartered and regular passenger flights from September 1st. But, only Nepalis and representatives of diplomatic missions, the United Nations and development partners are allowed to fly to Nepal until further notice.
Foreign tourists will be restricted until further notice, a cabinet decision published on Friday.
Daily arrivals were also limited to 500 people.
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Yubaraj Khatiwada, also a government spokesman, said that other people listed as tourists are allowed to come to Nepal via regular and chartered flights from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, China. Hong Kong, Australia, USA, Canada and European countries where RT-PCR testing is readily available.
People, including Nepalis, are banned from taking flights to Nepal from countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar where PCR testing is not readily available, according to Khatiwada. “Nepalis stranded in these countries could be brought home on charter flights,” said Khatiwada.
Although the government announced on July 20 that international and domestic flights would resume from August 17, and urged the travel and tourism industries to make bookings for the fall season, it reversed its decision on July 21 in light of the increase Number of coronavirus cases in the country.
The government had also suspended charter flights and made Nepalese workers ready to return home in the balance. However, the new decisions will give migrant workers some rest.
According to Khatiwada, those coming to Nepal are required to provide an RT-PCR test report carried out in the past 72 hours, proof of pre-booking of hotels for seven days and provide a barcode or hard copy of the form they are required to fill out, by accessing the Covid Crisis Management Center website (ccmc.gov.np).
“After seven days in quarantine, they have to notify in writing that they would be quarantined at home for another 14 days,” said Khatiwada.
Airlines must collect hotel quarantine costs from their passengers and ensure that they pay the respective hotels according to the bookings.
However, if they break the rules and bring people with them without PCR testing, the affected airline must, as decided by the cabinet, bear all quarantine costs of all of their passengers.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yubaraj Khatiwada, also a government spokesman, during the press conference in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu on Friday. RSS
Guragain said an integrated facility will be set up to quarantine migrant workers who arrive at a location in the valley every day so that authorities can more easily manage them.
PCR testing of the returning Nepalis will be performed within five days of their arrival and will be sent home after seven days.
Returning Nepalis, with the exception of migrant workers who have no or partial symptoms and those who wish to remain in domestic isolation, can do so.
After the resumption of flights on September 1st, anyone ready to take off will be allowed to travel.
“People who want to go abroad can go from September 1st, but they should take all necessary arrangements, including visas, tests, entry and stay in the destination country,” said Secretary Mahendra Guragain.
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