A pointy enhance within the variety of coronavirus circumstances 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 circumstances all through Xinjiang, with officers within the capital Urumqi (in Chinese language, Wulumuqi) designating 73 excessive danger districts and imposing strict exit-entry controls because of the rising variety of infections, China Information Service reported.
Now officers there are administering a brand new Chinese language drugs known as “A Ci Fu” to fight the virus, although the efficacy of the medication stays unknown, sources mentioned.
Beijing despatched a particular working group to area, with Ma Xingrui, Chinese language Communist Get together 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 comprise outbreaks of the respiratory virus.
Within the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang, Ma confused the necessity to implement Chinese language President Xi Jinping’s directions on epidemic prevention and management and confused the necessity for urgency. He known as for delineating danger areas and implementing detailed prevention and management measures, in addition to growing screening and accelerating development of makeshift hospitals, Chinese language media reported.
However Uyghurs mentioned the lockdowns applied to comprise COVID are inflicting issues of their very own.
For instance, a Turpan resident instructed RFA that farmers are unable to select their grapes, leaving the fruit to rot in fields and inflicting enormous monetary losses.
“We’re desolate,” he mentioned. “We actually hope this pandemic will disappear quickly, so we’re in a position to collect our grapes safely and grasp 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 aren’t in a position to 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 have 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, instructed RFA on Monday that the lockdowns have been seemingly notably onerous on Uyghurs in Xinjiang given the isolation many already lived below.
Shanghai residents endured a three-month lockdown. However those that have been confined to residences might at the very least talk their plight to the surface world through cell telephones or by social media. Chinese language repression in Xinjiang doesn’t give Uyghurs an identical outlet.
“We’ve got a lot much less data about how the zero-COVID insurance policies are affecting folks,” he mentioned, including that he noticed a video recorded by a Han Chinese language lady in Kashgar exhibiting that the town was lethal quiet.
“I’m positive she might run that danger with none issues, but when a Uyghur have been to provide that kind of video, I’m positive they might 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 can be that they [are] reluctant to share [information] as a result of it might be seen as a political offense.”
Stranded vacationers in Tibet
The variety of COVID-19 circumstances are additionally on the rise in neighboring Tibet Autonomous Area (TAR).
As of Wednesday, the area recorded 2,911 confirmed circumstances, 742 greater than have been reported on Tuesday, in line with an official depend.
“Folks are topic to steady testing,” mentioned a Tibetan dwelling within the capital Lhasa. “The Potala Palace and different non secular websites are shut down, faculties have postponed their reopening, and individuals are stocking up on groceries and shopping for face masks.”
Tens of 1000’s of Chinese language vacationers stranded within the capital Lhasa and the cities of Shigatse (Xigaze) and Ngari (Ali) are attempting to go away Tibet.
On Tuesday, the TAR’s Transportation Division introduced that those that are leaving the area by air or practice should take two COVID checks inside 24 hours of their departure and have a certificates indicating unfavourable outcomes.
A Tibetan within the area instructed RFA that sources for the testing and prevention of the virus are being depleted because of the excessive variety of Chinese language vacationers there.
Nee mentioned that video of employees 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 objective to make folks imagine that officers are doing every thing potential when it comes to a zero-COVID coverage to please Xi Jinping.
Although the variety of circumstances has spiked in Tibetan cities in current 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 have been involved,” mentioned one other Tibetan from Lhasa. “Now as COVID outbreaks are growing and the scenario stays unsure, we’re nervous about to the way it will prove 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 data 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.
