Covid-19 Prevention at the Grassroots Level: Experiences, Perspectives, and Responses in Rural Kham, Eastern Tibet, China

The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) caused an unprecedented catastrophe worldwide. Different communities adopted a wide range of preventive measures to halt transmission of the disease. This article examines how rural Tibetan communities in China’s eastern Tibet (Kham) have addressed this pandemic, including their popular discourses and practices concerning the ethics, etiology, and prevention of Covid-19. Through analysing the experiences, views, and responses of local Tibetans to Covid-19, this article reveals their underlying beliefs and values, and highlights the integration of their religious and medical practices. Analysis of ethnographic data shows that local Tibetans in Kham have not only relied on religious rituals and traditional Tibetan medicinal practices but have also adopted various modern public health measures to ensure effective prevention of the virus. Therefore, this study demonstrates not only a syncretic practice of religion and medicine in the landscape of Tibetan medical culture but also the practicality and adaptability of local Tibetans during crises.