SHANGHAI -- Tibet's famed Potala Palace was temporarily shut Tuesday as Chinese authorities moved to squash the Himalayan region's first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak in more than two years, while millions were under lockdown in tourist hot spot Hainan island.
Authorities in Tibet's capital Lhasa ordered mass testing and closed religious and entertainment venues, including Potala Palace, a symbol of Tibetan Buddhism and a key draw for the region's tourist-dependent economy.