Nepal is closing the 2021 climbing season, marked by a record 408 Everest permits after last year's was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the last two months since the climbing season began, more than 1,000 mountaineers and their mainly Nepali guides have been camped in the tent city.

Dozens of suspected COVID-19 cases have been flown out of the area and at least two companies have cancelled expeditions after team members tested positive.

However, authorities in Nepal have yet to acknowledge a single case at the mountain, with the stakes high for the country's tourism industry after a COVID-19 shutdown last year cost millions in lost revenue.