Chinese authorities have closed Tibet’s Potala Palace after a small outbreak of COVID cases in the Himalayan autonomous region, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. The action underscores China’s continued adherence to its “zero-COVID” policy, mandating lockdowns, routine testing, quarantines and travel restrictions, even while most other countries have reopened.
China says its hardline policy has been successful in preventing large-scale hospitalizations and deaths, while critics, including the World Health Organization, have decried its impact on the economy and society and said it is out of step with the changing nature of the virus and new methods of prevention and treatment.
China announced 828 new cases of domestic transmission on Tuesday, 22 of them in Tibet. The majority of those cases reportedly were asymptomatic. Meanwhile, more than 80,000 travelers remain stranded on the southern resort island of Hainan under requirements that they consistently test negative for the virus in coming days before being allowed to leave.