December 30: The rapid spread of a new variant of Covid-19 in China has raised concerns that the contagious disease might enter Nepal from the northern neighbour. Nepal's tourism business has gradually started to revive after the first and second waves of Covid-19. In this situation, stakeholders said that the risk of Covid-19 infection may increase due to the movement of Chinese tourists and labourers working for various projects in Nepal.

According to the data of the Department of Immigration, 5,906 Chinese citizens visited Nepal in the first five months of the current fiscal year. According to the department, 1,704 Chinese citizens came to Nepal in July, 1,203 in August, 1,009 in October, 1,067 in November and 923 in December.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has said that tourists are coming regularly from China, even though they are in small numbers. 

Officials of the Nepal Tourism Board said that Nepal should not be strict on arrival of Chinese nationals as they have been fully vaccinated and have completed the procedures including quarantine in China. 

"Chinese tourists have followed all the norms against Covid-19, so their arrival should not be affected," said Dhananjay Regmi, executive director of NTB. 

Regmi said that it is natural for Covid-19 infection to be seen normally in the winter season. According to Regmi, the arrival of foreign tourists, including Chinese, should not be restricted on this pretext.

For the past few months, the Covid-19 infection has been spreading rapidly in cities including Shanghai, the financial capital of China. To reduce the rapid spread of infection, the Chinese government had imposed a lockdown in the cities with high infection. But after widespread protests against the lockdown, the government relaxed the lockdown.

The coronavirus currently spreading in China is a sub-variant of Omicron 'BF-7'. Experts have said that the infection rate of this variant is very fast. It is said that it will have the ability to infect a large number of people in a short time.

Infectious disease specialist Dr Praveen Shrestha said that the government should start preparations early to prevent this variant from spreading in Nepal.

"Common people should also take health precautions to avoid infection," he said.

The new variant of Covid-19, which is spreading rapidly in Chinese cities including Shanghai, has also been seen sporadically in the states of India including Gujarat. But the Indian government has said that the number of people infected with the new variant is negligible.

Since India has an open border with Nepal, if such a variant is seen in India, there is a risk that it may enter Nepal as well. There is no need to panic now, said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Dr Sanjay Kumar Thakur. 

"In Nepal, many people have been vaccinated against Covid-19, some have also taken booster doses," he said, "those who are yet to be vaccinated are being prepared to be given regular vaccinations and booster doses."