Tibet's Lhasa crowded with visitors after COVID cases urge in 11 regions in China

COVID struck China again and the Chinese government imposed harsh restrictions on the citizens and tourists. As Tibet is still remained out of the recent surge of COVID cases, Chinese tourists started flocking to Lhasa, Tibet's capital. This comes when the Chinese government has outlawed tourism outside of Tibet, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

China re-imposed new lockdowns amid escalating COVID infections, with more than 100 cases reported across 11 provinces in the last week, leading to the complete suspension of tourism in some areas. However, Lhasa has been left open for tourism. At the moment, Lhasa is swarming with Chinese tourists, according to RFA. The Barkhor district is particularly densely populated with Chinese visitors.

Government employees are prohibited from visiting Potala Palace

According to a source reported by RFA, when the pandemic hasn't ended yet, seeing such big groups is terrifying. The source further stated that the Chinese visitors are free to visit the sacred sites of Potala Palace for religious purposes in the Tibet Autonomous Region, they are only asked to show a negative COVID report.

Chinese tourists who visited Qinghai province, which is part of Tibet's Amdo region, tested positive for COVID, prompting Tibetans to take extra precautions and avoid visiting the area. According to RFA, a source said that Tibetans in the area are being careful, but the Chinese government does not appear to be concerned about the pandemic. Despite the high number of COVID instances in this area, schools remain open.

NHC predicted increase in number of COVID cases

A few days ago, the National Health Commission (NHC) of China predicted an increase in the number of COVID cases that have returned in the country recently. Cross-region travel has been blamed for the majority of the infections that have spread across 11 provinces since October 17. Gansu province has seen the most cases with a total of 41 confirmed cases recorded from October 18 to October 23. All visitors in Lanzhou, where the majority of Ghansu's COVID cases have been documented, were informed that they are expected to remain in their current location and be quarantined. With Winter Olympics in Beijing just around the corner in February, the spread of COVID cases is a major concern for China.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)