China closes Potala Palace after COVID-19 reported in Tibet

BEIJING: Chinese authorities have got closed Tibet’s famed Potala Palace  following a minor outbreak associated with COVID-19 was documented in the Himalayan region.

The particular action underscores China’s continued adherence in order to its “zero-COVID” policy,   mandating lockdowns , schedule testing, quarantines plus travel restrictions, while most other countries have reopened.

The notice on the palace’s Weixin social media web site said the palace that was the traditional house of Tibet’s Buddhist leaders would be closed from Tuesday (Aug 9), with a reopening date to be announced later.

Tibet’s economy is greatly dependent on tourism and the Potala is an essential draw.

China says its hard-line policy has been profitable in preventing large-scale hospitalisations and deaths, while critics including the World Health Company have decried its impact on the economy and society and said it is out of step with the altering nature of the computer virus and new ways of prevention and treatment.

China introduced 828 new instances of domestic tranny on Tuesday, 22 of them in Tibet. The majority of those situations showed no signs and symptoms.

Meanwhile, more than 80, 000 travellers remain stranded  in the southern resort island of Hainan below requirements that they consistently test negative for the virus in arriving days before being allowed to leave.