{"id":225031,"date":"2020-10-27T17:51:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T00:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=225031"},"modified":"2022-09-09T18:22:25","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T01:22:25","slug":"at-least-170-coronavirus-cases-tied-to-kasghar-textile-factory-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2020\/10\/at-least-170-coronavirus-cases-tied-to-kasghar-textile-factory-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"At Least 170 Coronavirus Cases Tied To Kashgar Textile Factory Outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chinese government tested nearly five million people in Kashgar this past week, revealing 178 positive coronavirus cases in the city. Rumors of a possible outbreak in Kashgar surfaced on Weibo after all flights to and from the city were cancelled without explanation<\/a>. Coronavirus prevention measures in Xinjiang have generally been stricter than those taken in China\u2019s eastern provinces. During the first months of China\u2019s pandemic outbreak<\/a>, \u201cXinjiang was subjected to strict lockdown measures on par with those imposed in the city of Wuhan — the original epicenter of the virus, despite having reported only some 70 cases and three deaths.\u201d The Chinese government\u2019s campaign of repression and surveillance against Uyghurs is well documented, especially in Kashgar. A New York Times feature on the city described \u201csledgehammer\u201d surveillance and children interrogated about their parent\u2019s religious beliefs<\/a>. The current outbreak may have originated in a factory with ties to forced labor<\/strong><\/a>. Eva Dou reported for The Washington Post :<\/p>\n

The outbreak in Kashgar has been traced to workers at a clothing factory in \u201cNo. 3 Village\u201d in the area\u2019s Shufu County, according to the Beijing News. It\u2019s unclear how the virus got to the factory in Shufu County.<\/p>\n

The first confirmed case was a 17-year-old girl whose parents worked at the factory, according to a news conference held Sunday evening by the Xinjiang health commission.<\/p>\n

The outbreak draws further attention to an area that has faced intense international scrutiny this year. A number of Xinjiang clothing and textile factories were put under U.S. sanctions in recent months, after reports that Muslim Uighurs \u2014 the predominant ethnic minority in the region \u2014 were being forced to work in factories under threat of detention. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chinese news outlet Caixin found that the epicenter of the outbreak is a clothing factory tied to China\u2019s poverty alleviation campaign<\/a>. \u201cPoverty alleviation workshops<\/a>,\u201d heavily subsidized local factories, are a central part of China\u2019s anti-poverty push<\/a>. However, in Xinjiang, the term is sometimes a euphemism for ethnicity-based labor camps<\/strong><\/a>. From Adrian Zenz at Foreign Policy:<\/p>\n

In Xinjiang, state-mandated poverty alleviation goes along with different forms of involuntary labor placements. Under the banner of \u201cindustry-driven poverty alleviation,\u201d minorities are being torn away from their own jobs and families. Just as brainwashing is masked as \u201cjob training,\u201d forced labor is concealed behind the euphemistic facade of \u201cpoverty alleviation.\u201d [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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138 asymptomatic cases now in Kashgar, after the city was abruptly locked down last night. There is a strong probability that the cases are linked to Xinjiang's detention system – horrible news given how crowded conditions can be https:\/\/t.co\/goPyBQmDgw<\/a><\/p>\n

— Emily Feng \u51af\u54f2\u82b8 (@EmilyZFeng) October 25, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n