Crowds gather to protest COVID-19 lockdown measures in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
A video from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, has surfaced online, Reuters When Nikkei — show Crowds protested in the square and called on the Chinese government to end the blockade.
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been under a strict lockdown for more than three months.Lockdown fears intensified after Urumqi apartment fire killed 10 people on Thursday.
Authorities in Beijing have pursued a zero-COVID policy that includes strict lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Local governments announced on Saturday that they would partially and gradually ease lockdown measures in “low-risk” areas. according to A CNN report citing a local press conference.
Chinese authorities have been repeatedly accused by Western governments and human rights groups of violating human rights in Xinjiang, home to the majority of the Uyghur Muslim minority.
During a visit to China in early November, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged Beijing’s way of fighting the coronavirus pandemic. “Very different” But the two countries are united in their fight against pathogens. During his stay in Beijing, Scholz announced that the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to expats in China.