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| Xinjiang Returns to Work, but Coronavirus Worries Linger in China | Xinjiang Returns to Work, but Coronavirus Worries Linger in China |
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| HONG KONG — In the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, the government says, major construction projects have resumed, oil field workers are back on the job, garment factories are making masks and spring planting is underway. Students returned to school last week, and one class was greeted by the region’s top Communist Party leader, who wore a mask while speaking to them. | HONG KONG — In the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, the government says, major construction projects have resumed, oil field workers are back on the job, garment factories are making masks and spring planting is underway. Students returned to school last week, and one class was greeted by the region’s top Communist Party leader, who wore a mask while speaking to them. |
| Officially vetted images and reports in China’s state-controlled media show life in Xinjiang resuming after more than a month of a regionwide shutdown to control the coronavirus. “Xinjiang has completely restored the normal order of production and life,” the official People’s Daily declared in a March 12 headline. | Officially vetted images and reports in China’s state-controlled media show life in Xinjiang resuming after more than a month of a regionwide shutdown to control the coronavirus. “Xinjiang has completely restored the normal order of production and life,” the official People’s Daily declared in a March 12 headline. |
| But questions remain over the severity of the outbreak in the largely underdeveloped region, and whether a tightly enforced lockdown made it difficult for some residents to survive. | But questions remain over the severity of the outbreak in the largely underdeveloped region, and whether a tightly enforced lockdown made it difficult for some residents to survive. |
| The government says Xinjiang, a region of 24.5 million, officially has 76 coronavirus cases and three deaths. But Uighurs living abroad have been concerned about the fate of as many as a million or more Uighurs, Kazakhs and members of other predominantly Muslim minorities, who have been held in a sprawling network of indoctrination camps the government says are needed to fight religious extremism. | The government says Xinjiang, a region of 24.5 million, officially has 76 coronavirus cases and three deaths. But Uighurs living abroad have been concerned about the fate of as many as a million or more Uighurs, Kazakhs and members of other predominantly Muslim minorities, who have been held in a sprawling network of indoctrination camps the government says are needed to fight religious extremism. |
| They are skeptical of the government’s official tally of cases, fearing that the virus would spread rapidly in Xinjiang if it were introduced into the camps, or to prisons or rural areas with limited medical care. For many Uighurs, communication with the outside world has been largely cut by the government’s clampdown, adding to the uncertainty. | They are skeptical of the government’s official tally of cases, fearing that the virus would spread rapidly in Xinjiang if it were introduced into the camps, or to prisons or rural areas with limited medical care. For many Uighurs, communication with the outside world has been largely cut by the government’s clampdown, adding to the uncertainty. |
| Jevlan Shirmemmet, a Uighur living in Turkey, said the outbreak made him fear for the well-being of his mother, who is in Xinjiang. His mother, Süriye Tursun, was sentenced to five years in prison for supporting terrorism, which he calls a wrongful conviction that is part of the continuing crackdown. If the outbreak caught hold in the region, she would have little hope of avoiding infection, he worried. | Jevlan Shirmemmet, a Uighur living in Turkey, said the outbreak made him fear for the well-being of his mother, who is in Xinjiang. His mother, Süriye Tursun, was sentenced to five years in prison for supporting terrorism, which he calls a wrongful conviction that is part of the continuing crackdown. If the outbreak caught hold in the region, she would have little hope of avoiding infection, he worried. |
| This month Mr. Shirmemmet called the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul, where he lives. “They said, ‘You shouldn’t worry, the government is already paying attention to the prisons and the camps,’” he said. | This month Mr. Shirmemmet called the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul, where he lives. “They said, ‘You shouldn’t worry, the government is already paying attention to the prisons and the camps,’” he said. |
| He was unconvinced. Last month the coronavirus swept through at least four prisons in three provinces in eastern China, infecting more than 500 inmates and guards. So far no prison cases have been reported in Xinjiang, which has one of the country’s highest concentration of prisons in addition to the network of indoctrination camps. | He was unconvinced. Last month the coronavirus swept through at least four prisons in three provinces in eastern China, infecting more than 500 inmates and guards. So far no prison cases have been reported in Xinjiang, which has one of the country’s highest concentration of prisons in addition to the network of indoctrination camps. |
| The Xinjiang authorities have dismissed concerns that they were hiding information about the outbreak. A spokesman for the regional government called suggestions that the new coronavirus had taken hold in the camps or that the authorities were hiding the extent of infections “fabricated slanders and attacks,” the state-run news broadcaster, China Central Television, reported. | The Xinjiang authorities have dismissed concerns that they were hiding information about the outbreak. A spokesman for the regional government called suggestions that the new coronavirus had taken hold in the camps or that the authorities were hiding the extent of infections “fabricated slanders and attacks,” the state-run news broadcaster, China Central Television, reported. |
| Even before the outbreak spread in China, Xinjiang was already under its own clampdown. The region is dotted with checkpoints to control the movement of minority populations and many Muslims have been rounded up and placed in camps or prisons for a range of behavior the government has deemed extremist. | Even before the outbreak spread in China, Xinjiang was already under its own clampdown. The region is dotted with checkpoints to control the movement of minority populations and many Muslims have been rounded up and placed in camps or prisons for a range of behavior the government has deemed extremist. |
| Uncensored information from the region is scarce. For Uighurs and other minorities, communicating with people abroad is grounds to be sent to a camp. Reporting on the ground is highly restricted, and the extent of the vast campaign there has been pieced together in recent years only through the testimony of exiles and former detainees, leaked documents and satellite imagery of the growing network of detention facilities. | Uncensored information from the region is scarce. For Uighurs and other minorities, communicating with people abroad is grounds to be sent to a camp. Reporting on the ground is highly restricted, and the extent of the vast campaign there has been pieced together in recent years only through the testimony of exiles and former detainees, leaked documents and satellite imagery of the growing network of detention facilities. |
| After the first coronavirus cases in Xinjiang were reported on Jan. 23, the region beefed up its controls. Reports from Uighur exiles described how the lockdown placed Uighurs in Xinjiang at risk of starvation. The Uyghur Human Rights Project, a Washington-based advocacy organization, reviewed a pair of videos from the region last month that showed people complaining of being unable to get food. | After the first coronavirus cases in Xinjiang were reported on Jan. 23, the region beefed up its controls. Reports from Uighur exiles described how the lockdown placed Uighurs in Xinjiang at risk of starvation. The Uyghur Human Rights Project, a Washington-based advocacy organization, reviewed a pair of videos from the region last month that showed people complaining of being unable to get food. |
| In one video, a Uighur man is confronted by a person speaking Chinese as he walks along an empty street and told he should not be outside. “What’s a person supposed to eat when they get hungry?” he replied in Uighur. “What should I do, bite into a building?” | In one video, a Uighur man is confronted by a person speaking Chinese as he walks along an empty street and told he should not be outside. “What’s a person supposed to eat when they get hungry?” he replied in Uighur. “What should I do, bite into a building?” |
| Fears about the conditions inside indoctrination camps are even greater, and information even more sparse. No reports have emerged of conditions in the facilities since the outbreak began. But former detainees have previously described poor food and sanitation and little help for those who fell ill. | Fears about the conditions inside indoctrination camps are even greater, and information even more sparse. No reports have emerged of conditions in the facilities since the outbreak began. But former detainees have previously described poor food and sanitation and little help for those who fell ill. |
| Updated June 22, 2020 | Updated June 22, 2020 |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Internal Chinese documents leaked to The New York Times and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists have listed officials’ warnings about the dangers of infectious diseases in the indoctrination program. | |
| Sayragul Sauytbay, a Chinese-born ethnic Kazakh woman who was forced to work as a Chinese language teacher in a camp for a few months until early 2018, said she was worried that the government would do little to prevent an outbreak in the camps. | Sayragul Sauytbay, a Chinese-born ethnic Kazakh woman who was forced to work as a Chinese language teacher in a camp for a few months until early 2018, said she was worried that the government would do little to prevent an outbreak in the camps. |
| “According to my personal experience in the concentration camp, they never helped anyone or provided any medical support for any kind of disease or health condition,” said Ms. Sauytbay, who fled to Kazakhstan two years ago, in a phone interview this month. “If the coronavirus spread inside the camps, they would not help, they would not provide any medical support.” | “According to my personal experience in the concentration camp, they never helped anyone or provided any medical support for any kind of disease or health condition,” said Ms. Sauytbay, who fled to Kazakhstan two years ago, in a phone interview this month. “If the coronavirus spread inside the camps, they would not help, they would not provide any medical support.” |
| Now the region is being jolted back to work. Labor transfer programs, in which large numbers of Uighurs and other predominately Muslim minorities are sent to work in other parts of Xinjiang and the rest of China, have resumed in recent weeks. The programs have drawn scrutiny for harsh controls and coercive recruiting methods that experts say amount to forced labor. | Now the region is being jolted back to work. Labor transfer programs, in which large numbers of Uighurs and other predominately Muslim minorities are sent to work in other parts of Xinjiang and the rest of China, have resumed in recent weeks. The programs have drawn scrutiny for harsh controls and coercive recruiting methods that experts say amount to forced labor. |
| By March 20, more than 20,000 people from poor, predominantly Uighur counties in southern Xinjiang were sent to work in cities including Hotan, Kashgar and Urumqi, the regional capital. The goal, according to the state-run Xinjiang Daily, was to transfer 50,000 people by the end of March. | By March 20, more than 20,000 people from poor, predominantly Uighur counties in southern Xinjiang were sent to work in cities including Hotan, Kashgar and Urumqi, the regional capital. The goal, according to the state-run Xinjiang Daily, was to transfer 50,000 people by the end of March. |
| In order to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, the newspaper said, the workers had to be closely shepherded from point to point. When one group of workers set off, the newspaper said, they were only allowed to “go out, get in the train, then enter the factory door.” | In order to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, the newspaper said, the workers had to be closely shepherded from point to point. When one group of workers set off, the newspaper said, they were only allowed to “go out, get in the train, then enter the factory door.” |