The virus is definitely the main topic throughout Nepal with the country locking down and limiting travel in and out. But at Everest Base Camp, it seems like a mixed bag. Some teams think the virus is much to do about nothing, while others are worried. Hard to tell facts from fiction or denial. So, let’s look at what the non-hysterical teams are saying: First from a team member, Meghan Buchanan, of the person who made the “shitstorm” post: “ I am truly sorry for the experience Gina had within a 12 hr time period, especially after such a great accomplishment on Annapurna. However, I am in a team at the same camp (for a few weeks) and experiencing something very different. 1st- if you are extremely concerned about getting covid, while we are still in a pandemic, I would recommend pushing your expeditions to 2022 or beyond. 2nd- Myself, and my team have taken the Covid covenant (we fully read and agreed too) seriously and have remained vigilant to protect not only ourselves, but our Nepalese support crew. We have nearly ALL already had covid AND/OR have been vaccinated (prior to arrival to Nepal). That is a portion of the data points i considered when deciding to move forward with a 2021 Everest expedition. If I did not have antibodies and been vaccinated, I personally would not have come. And if I had come, not ensuring I was protected against covid, but decided to leave because we are indeed still in the middle of a pandemic (which is totally valid), I would NOT be looking at going on another expedition in only 1 month. We will still be in a pandemic. So, this reasoning does not hold up. I believe it selfish and irresponsible to start a dumpster fire right before your helicopter ride out of base camp. I want to make sure readers understand and that there are many of us here on Everest that have taken great precautions, as well as remain vigilant to protect ourselves, and others, from Covid. My entire team is extremely healthy, happy and gets tested regularly. It is NOT a “shit storm” for everyone here at base camp. Rather, in my experience, it is a group of people taking the utmost precaution to protect and support each other as we move forward to achieve our goal of summiting the highest peak in the world.”