To combat a rare flare-up, portions of Tibet, including the two major cities in the Chinese autonomous area, are conducting mass COVID-19 testing on Tuesday. Meanwhile, clusters are expanding in the Chinese western province of Xinjiang and the island of Hainan, which is tropical.
Sub Variants of the highly transmissible Omicron are challenging China’s strategy of swiftly blocking the spread of each nascent cluster. Regions that have seen relatively few cases for more than two years now battling outbreaks, raising the risk of persistent tight restrictions as the economy weakens. China’s plan to promptly stop the spread of each emerging cluster is being tested by sub variants of the extremely contagious Omicron virus.
There is a likelihood of continued harsh restrictions as the economy deteriorates because regions that had experienced relatively few instances for more than two years are now dealing with epidemics. Large events have been postponed and numerous entertainment and religious sites have been closed in Lhasa, the largest city and provincial capital of Tibet.
Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet, has begun three days of restrictions, during which no one is allowed in or out and many businesses are shut down. A new round of mass testing is being conducted in Lhasa and Shigatse, and the second phase will start on Wednesday, state television reported on Tuesday.
Numerous cities and towns in Hainan are in lockdown, with millions of people only being able to leave for necessities like COVID exams, grocery shopping, and critical job duties. State media says that over 178,000 tourists were trapped in the southern island province.
