Nepal lifts virus ban for Bahrain royal expedition

Nepal is making a royal exception to its coronavirus ban on foreign arrivals, with a mountaineering team including a Bahrain prince set to tackle two major peaks. The Himalayan country shut its borders in March including grounding international flights just ahead of the busy spring season, devastating the local tourism sector. The 18-member party were given special permission to enter Nepal to climb the 8,163-metre Mount Manaslu and the 6,119-metre Lobuche. "A 15-member Bahrain team including the prince of Bahrain and three British citizens will be allowed to come to Nepal in a chartered flight... following the health protocols," government spokesman Yuba Raj Khatiwada said late Monday.