China shuts down Mount Everest to climbers amid coronavirus outbreak

China

China is not giving permits to climbers hoping to summit Mount Everest this season, multiple mountaineering sources confirmed.

The reports that climbers won\'t be able to make attempts from the northern, Chinese-controlled Tibet side of the mountain comes as the world combats the novel coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China.

Tibet Sports Administration\'s WeChat account posted a statement Thursday signed by the Tibet Autonomous Region Mountaineering Center and the China Tibet Mountaineering Association that said they are suspending all foreign climbing expeditions for the 2020 spring season \"in order to ensure the safety and physical health of mountaineers, and to maintain the interests of mountaineering team organizers and fans.\" Permits for the north side of Everest are given by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association.