Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20200502

A29
science & technology Saturday 2 May 2020
China sends survey team to Everest after season canceled

BEIJING (AP) — China sent monitoring and ecological
scientists to climb Mount protection," Xinhua report-
Everest while the world's ed.
highest peak is empty of The People's Republic of
commercial climbers be- China has conducted six
cause of the coronavirus major surveys of the moun-
pandemic. tain locally known as Qo-
China and Nepal can- molangma, Xinhua said.
celed spring climbing on They have registered its
their sides of the mountain height at 8,848.13 meters
to prevent infections from (29,029 feet) in 1975 and
spreading as expedition 8,844.43 meters (29,017
teams traveled to the re- feet) in 2005.
gion and lived for weeks in China has also taken ad-
tightly packed camps at vantage of the lack of
high altitudes with little ac- climbers to collect gar-
cess to emergency medi- bage from Everest and
cal help. other popular climbing
The official Xinhua News peaks.q
Agency said Thursday a
53-member team from the
Ministry of National Re-
sources has been conduct-
ing preliminary scientific In this April 30, 2020, aerial photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, vehicles and tents
work since early March and are seen at the base camp at the foot of the peak of Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount
survey work on the moun- Everest, in southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
tain is due to begin this Associated Press.
month. China's network of mountain's current height ed a ministry team leader, mountain via the northern
Beidou satellites, a rival to and natural resources, Li Guopeng, as saying. approach. Data on snow
America's Global Position- along with other domesti- No date was given for depth, weather and wind
ing System, will be used in cally developed surveying when the team would speed would also be mea-
a survey to determine the technology, Xinhua quot- arrive at the top of the sured to "facilitate glacier

Asia Today: Japan

debuts robots at hotels

for virus patients

BANGKOK (AP) — Robot The robots, made by Soft-
staff debuted at a Tokyo Bank Robotics, will also be
hotel used for mildly sick deployed at other hotels
coronavirus patients un- rented by Tokyo's metro-
der a new plan to free up politan government for
beds at hospitals overbur- patients with no or mild
dened with more severe symptoms. So far, Tokyo A humanoid robot Pepper wearing a face mask greets
cases. has secured five hotels Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike at the lobby of a hotel for the new
Pepper, a talking robot, and aims to increase the coronavirus COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms during a
greets new guests at number of rooms from the media preview in Tokyo Friday, May 1, 2020. Associated Press.
the lobby, while Whiz, a current 1,500 to 2,800.
cleaning robot, operates The hotels are also staffed continue for roughly an- of urgency doesn't reflect
in areas where patients by doctors and nurses, but other month. Abe, citing the serious risk in a coun-
pick up meals and other officials hope the robots a report by a government try with the world's oldest
daily necessities to reduce can cheer up an other- task force, said the coun- population.
infection risks for human wise lonely time for guests try's medical system is still — INDIA EXTENDS LOCK-
staff. who are isolated in single under severe pressure DOWN: India has decided
Pepper, wearing a white rooms for their weekslong even though Japan has to extend the lockdown
surgical mask, greeted To- stay. Japan has 14,281 averted an explosion of of its 1.3 billion people
kyo Gov. Yuriko Koike as confirmed cases, with 432 infections as occurred in for two more weeks, with
she walked into the hotel deaths, according to the many other countries. "We some relaxations. The
during Friday's demonstra- health ministry. In other still need you to continue government has identified
tion. Pepper also reminds developments around the cooperating, and that's "red" and "orange" zones
patients to check their Asia-Pacific region: the experts' view," Abe where coronavirus cases
temperature and rest well. — JAPAN TO EXTEND said. The state of emer- have been found, where
Guests can also access EMERGENCY: Japanese gency is voluntary and stricter measures will con-
health management ap- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe only requests social dis- tinue. In low-risk "green"
plications on computers said Friday that the coro- tancing and remote work zones, some movement
and tablets to record their navirus state of emer- rather than orders that of people and most eco-
temperatures and symp- gency that is scheduled actions be taken. Health nomic activities will be al-
toms. to end next week will experts worry that the lack lowed. q