A pointy improve within the variety of coronavirus instances in Xinjiang led China’s authorities to ship a delegation all through the far-western area to implement controversial zero-COVID insurance policies, additional isolating residents there.
As of Wednesday, Xinjiang recorded 2,779 confirmed COVID-19 instances all through Xinjiang, with officers within the capital Urumqi (in Chinese language, Wulumuqi) designating 73 excessive danger districts and imposing strict exit-entry controls as a result of rising variety of infections, China Information Service reported.
Now officers there are administering a brand new Chinese language medication referred to as “A Ci Fu” to fight the virus, although the efficacy of the drugs stays unknown, sources mentioned.
Beijing despatched a particular working group to area, with Ma Xingrui, Chinese language Communist Celebration secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Area (XUAR), visiting Ghulja (Yining), Chochek (Tacheng), Bortala (Bole), Sanji (Changji), Turpan (Tulufan) and Qumul (Hami) on Aug. 13-16.
Erkin Tuniyaz, a Chinese language politician of Uyghur origin who’s the present XUAR chairman, visited Kashgar (Kashgar) throughout the identical interval.
The 2 officers oversaw the implementation of mass testing and lockdowns to include outbreaks of the respiratory virus.
Within the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang, Ma harassed the necessity to implement Chinese language President Xi Jinping’s directions on epidemic prevention and management and harassed the necessity for urgency. He referred to as for delineating danger areas and implementing detailed prevention and management measures, in addition to growing screening and accelerating building of makeshift hospitals, Chinese language media reported.
However Uyghurs mentioned the lockdowns carried out to include COVID are inflicting issues of their very own.
For instance, a Turpan resident advised RFA that farmers are unable to choose their grapes, leaving the fruit to rot in fields and inflicting large monetary losses.
“We’re desolate,” he mentioned. “We actually hope this pandemic will disappear quickly, so we’re capable of collect our grapes safely and cling them in drying rooms.”
A Uyghur on Douyin, the Chinese language model of the short-form, video-sharing app TikTok, mentioned many individuals within the affected areas are unable to afford meals as a result of they don’t seem to be capable of work. Meals costs have additionally gone up due to the lockdowns, the supply mentioned.
A police official in Ghulja county’s Hudiyayuzi township mentioned officers had been directed to warn residents to watch out what they are saying or imagine regarding the COVID outbreak.
“We’ll examine and detain those that unfold rumors,” the officer mentioned.
William Nee, analysis and advocacy coordinator at Chinese language Human Rights Defenders, advised RFA on Monday that the lockdowns had been possible notably arduous on Uyghurs in Xinjiang given the isolation many already lived underneath.
Shanghai residents endured a three-month lockdown. However those that had been confined to flats may not less than talk their plight to the skin world through cell telephones or by means of social media. Chinese language repression in Xinjiang doesn’t give Uyghurs an identical outlet.
“We have now a lot much less data about how the zero-COVID insurance policies are affecting individuals,” he mentioned, including that he noticed a video recorded by a Han Chinese language lady in Kashgar exhibiting that town was lethal quiet.
“I’m positive she may run that danger with none issues, but when a Uyghur had been to supply that kind of video, I’m positive they’d be detained on some pretext,” Nee mentioned. “So one of many difficulties is that any unfavourable ramifications of the zero-COVID coverage affecting Uyghurs and different ethnic minorities could be that they [are] reluctant to share [information] as a result of it may very well be seen as a political offense.”
Stranded vacationers in Tibet
The variety of COVID-19 instances are additionally on the rise in neighboring Tibet Autonomous Area (TAR).
As of Wednesday, the area recorded 2,911 confirmed instances, 742 greater than had been reported on Tuesday, in response to an official depend.
“Folks are topic to steady testing,” mentioned a Tibetan dwelling within the capital Lhasa. “The Potala Palace and different spiritual websites are shut down, faculties have postponed their reopening, and persons are stocking up on groceries and shopping for face masks.”
Tens of hundreds of Chinese language vacationers stranded within the capital Lhasa and the cities of Shigatse (Xigaze) and Ngari (Ali) are attempting to depart Tibet.
On Tuesday, the TAR’s Transportation Division introduced that those that are leaving the area by air or practice should take two COVID assessments inside 24 hours of their departure and have a certificates indicating unfavourable outcomes.
A Tibetan within the area advised RFA that sources for the testing and prevention of the virus are being depleted as a result of excessive variety of Chinese language vacationers there.
Nee mentioned that video of staff spraying down roads in Tibet with disinfectant had no scientific foundation as being an efficient technique of stopping the coronavirus, and solely serve a performative goal to make individuals imagine that officers are doing every little thing potential by way of a zero-COVID coverage to please Xi Jinping.
Although the variety of instances has spiked in Tibetan cities in latest days, airports within the area, together with Lhasa Gonggar Airport, have remained open and the inflow of vacationers has continued with out restriction.
“Throughout earlier COVID surges, the Chinese language authorities didn’t prohibit vacationers from getting into Tibet as a result of Tibetans had been involved,” mentioned one other Tibetan from Lhasa. “Now as COVID outbreaks are growing and the state of affairs stays unsure, we’re anxious about to the way it will end up within the subsequent few days.”
Earlier this week, a Chinese language official in Lhasa issued a discover warning residents to not share any COVID-related information or info on social media.
Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff for RFA Uyghur, and Kalden Lodoe and Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
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