Nepal closes Mount Everest for climbers because of coronavirus fears

FILE PHOTO: Light illuminates Mount Everest (C) during sunset in Solukhumbu district, also known as the Everest region, in this picture taken November 30, 2015. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar/File Photo

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal has closed all of its Himalayan peaks including Mount Everest this climbing season because of fears of the coronavirus outbreak, a government minister said on Friday.

Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest, gets more than four million dollars in permit fees for the world's highest peak and other mountains every year.