(TibetanReview.net, Feb19’20) – The confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection in the worst affected Tibetan territory of the People’s Republic of China has continued to increase with their total reaching 62 as of Feb 17, said the Tibetan Service of rfa.org Feb 18, citing official Chinese government reports. The report said this included five new cases reported on Feb 17 in Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) Prefecture of Sichuan Province.
The prefecture’s Tawu (Daofu) County accounted for 57 of the total confirmed cases. The report said this made the county the second worst affected in the PRC after Hubei Province whose capital Wuhan is the infection’s epicentre.
Tibetans are known to be among the infected, although it is no clear how many.
The report cited China’s official media as reporting that a stretch of Highway 305 running from Tawu’s Palme Township to the area of Khangsar had been closed by the Public Security Bureau – the Chinese police – in response to the rising number of infections.
The report noted that on Feb 17, Kardze People’s Hospital released a video showing three patients – two Chinese and a Tibetan – being discharged after recovering from the infection.
The report further cited official Chinese sources as saying around 370 people known to have been in close contact with confirmed cases were under quarantine and close medical observation in the province.
