Representative image
COVID-19: Nepal to suspend international flights starting midnight, travelers rush to exit
ANI | Updated: May 06, 2021 10:44 IST
By Binod Prasad Adhikari
Kathmandu [Nepal], May 6 (ANI): Nepal is set to suspend international flights from midnight on May 6 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The international terminal of Nepal's Tribhuwan International Airport on Wednesday afternoon remained packed with travelers who wanted to fly out before the airport is closed.
On Sunday, a cabinet meeting had decided to stop international flights amid surging cases of COVID-19 in the Himalayan nation.
"I actually had my bookings for 12th of this month, the decision by the government to close the airport has prompted me to take the flight for today (5th May). Some flights of others also might have got cancelled due to various reasons. I am happy that I got to get out early without much hassle," Suraj Chaulagain, one of the travelers who reached the airport to catch a flight to Romania, told ANI.
Long queues were seen at various check-in-counters outside the terminal of the International Airport as Nepali as well as foreigners tried to fly out of the country amid uncertainty when the flights would be back to schedule.
Nepal has made it mandatory to produce a Real-Time- Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) negative test report conducted 72 hours before boarding the flight.
"We were asked to undergo a PCR test 72 hours prior to the flight which is a good step as it would give us added assurance and the social distancing apart from other security and safety measures," Ishwor Gurung, another outbound passenger who arrived at the airport on Wednesday, told ANI.