The Chinese government has closed Tibet’s prominent Potala Palace after a minor outbreak of COVID-19 reported in the Himalayan region.
This action underscores China’s continued adherence to its “zero-COVID” policy, imposing lockdowns, regime testing, quarantines and restrictions, even though the maximum of other countries have reopened.
A review on the palace’s weixin social media site said the Lhasa Palace, once the classic of Tibet’s Buddhist rulers, would be closed from Tuesday, with a reopening date to be announced later.
Tibet’s economy relies heavily on tourism and potala Palace is a major attraction.
China says its uncompromising policy of opposition to COVID-19 has managed to prevent large-scale hospitalizations and deaths, while critics, including the World Health Organization, have denounced it as having an effect on the economy and society and said it is not in line with the coronavirus’s converting character and new prevention and treatment strategies.
China on Tuesday announced 828 new cases of internal transmission, 22 in Tibet. Most of those cases had no symptoms.
Elsewhere in China, the government sent a first tourist plane from the southern hotel of Sanya, where tens of thousands of travelers have been stranded since Saturday due to a COVID-19 lockdown.
State broadcaster CCTV said the city in Hainan province is arranging more flights to take tourists home in batches after the initial flight to Xian. They are allowed to leave after several negative effects of coronavirus testing.
The provincial capital, Haikou, will be closed at five o’clock in the afternoon. Wednesday from 6 a. m. to 11 p. m. , the town said.
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