Location: Nepal Countrywide
Event: COVID-19 Response
The Embassy is very pleased that 302 U.S. citizens are on their way to the U.S. as this message goes out. Please see a message from Ambassador Randy Berry here: https://twitter.com/USAmbNepal/status/1244936223321231362. We understand that this message is bittersweet, as we are very aware that there are many more of you who are interested to return to the U.S. but the limit of seats on a plane prevents us from being able to get everyone out at one time. We know that our job is not done. It was heartbreaking to have to tell a couple dozen U.S. citizens who had been on standby for the flight that there was not enough room, and that they would need to return to their hotels and guest houses for now.
Unfortunately, we now return to a time period in which we do not yet have much confirmed information. We have made a request for another flight, but there is another round of discussion and decisions that will now take place in Washington, DC, and it will likely be two to three days before we have some solid information for you all. But in the meantime, although the processing of citizens today went smoothly, we have learned a handful of lessons that should make the process better next time.
One thing we have decided to do is reconstruct the online survey form that we used for the first flight. This time we need to stress that only those who are “absolutely certain” to “fairly certain” fill out the form. For those of you who are comfortable staying and sheltering in place in Nepal, there is no need for you to fill out the form. We will have the form ready tomorrow and will send out the link in the next message.
The Embassy continues to work with the Nepal Tourism Board to provide options for citizens to return from areas outside Kathmandu. Please reach out to us at consktm@state.gov and make your presence known to District Administration Office officials, stating your desire to return to Kathmandu. You may wish to contact NTB directly as well. (https://www.welcomenepal.com/; email: crisiscell@ntb.org.np)
Actions to Take:
- For additional general information about repatriation charter flights, see https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/for-evacuated-citizens.html
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website for travel restrictions to the U.S.
- Consult the CDC website, for the most up-to-date information regarding enhanced screening procedures.
- Consult the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population website for the latest updates on the health situation in Nepal.
- Consult the Government of Nepal’s Immigration Department website for the latest updates about immigration restrictions in Nepal.
- Consult the U.S. Embassy website for updates on Nepal-specific COVID-19 information, entry to and exit from Nepal, quarantine information, and for other local resource contact information.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Kathmandu, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Telephone: +(977)(1) 423-4000 or 400-7200
- Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(977)(1) 400-7266,400-7269
- Email: consktm@state.gov
- State Department – Consular Affairs: 1-888-407-4747 or 1-202-501-4444
- Nepal Country Information
- Enroll in Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
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