China's zero-COVID policy 'made life hell' for Tibetans; 'Causing more harm than good'

China's anti-Tibet policies have again emerged as the Central Tibet Administration accused Beijing of enforcing draconian laws to stop the spread of COVID virus in the region. Though China claims the laws were crucial to combat the lethal virus, Tibet claimed that the rules had made their lives hell. "The zero-COVID policy is causing more harm than good. The mismanagement of the pandemic outbreak in Tibet only exposes Beijing's failed COVID-policy implementation," the CTA said in a statement released on September 26.

The Tibetan administration alleged that China wants to present itself as a role model in curbing the outbreak and added that it has disregarded the safety and security of Tibetans. Explaining the situation, Tibetans claimed that the quarantine facilities are crowded, with severe food scarcity, lack of medical supplies and unhygienic living conditions. Some Tibetans even compared the situation to worst than a prisoner and added that a Tibetan was beaten up for protesting against the dire living situation under the COVID lockdown. Moreover, the administration claimed that in some COVID regions, people are forcibly dragged into isolation centres with their families. They have to live with the uncertainty of their return and updates in general, said the administration. 

Tibet reported the first case of COVID-19 in August this year

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought suffering across the world for more than two years now but China declared the first case in the Tibet region in August this year after 22 cases of the deadly virus were detected in Lhasa and Ngari. This has been the first official admission of COVID in Tibet after repeated public announcements of the zero-COVID policy in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) since early 2020, read the CTA release. "Within weeks, at least 3,627 people had reportedly tested positive indicating a rapid increase. Strict government-imposed lockdowns were soon enacted in Lhasa, Shigatse, and Ngari after news of positive cases were reported from nearby areas of Nagchu, Chamdo, Lhoka, and Nyingtri," according to the statement.

Currently, an estimated 53,076 people reside in isolation centres in the TAR alone. Meanwhile, a number of Tibetan areas outside of the TAR, including Karze and Ngaba in Kham and Amdo provinces respectively, continue to report daily COVID cases resulting in sporadic lockdowns, Chengdu being the worst-hit area in China's Sichuan.

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