Tajikistan has toughens control at border crossing points (BCPs) along its common border with Afghanistan following the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in that country. All persons proceedings via the BCPs on the Tajik-Afghan border undergo thorough medical examination.
“The first cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Afghanistan, and therefore, we have decided to toughen control at the BCPs along our common border with Afghanistan,” Tajik Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population, Mirhamuddin Kamolzoda, told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon.
“Our specialists are currently on the border and the situation there is under control. We close collaborate with relevant Afghan agencies to prevent spread of the coronavirus to our country,” Kamolzoda said.
He further added that 882 of 1,148 people have been released from coronavirus quarantine in Tajikistan to-date. Those people had been quarantined since February 1.
Recall, Tajik health authorities stepped up preventative measures in early February as part of their efforts to contain a global epidemic.
The Tajik Health Ministry has required anybody traveling from China to remain in quarantine for a period of 14 days. There are quarantine centers in all the country’s regions.
There have been no confirmed cases of the illness in Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, CNN said on February 25 that the death toll from the novel coronavirus has risen to more than 2,700 worldwide, with the vast majority of those in mainland China. The total number of global cases reportedly stands at over 80,000.
South Korea now has more than 970 coronavirus cases nationwide, with 10 deaths. Europe's biggest outbreak is in Italy, where seven people have died and there are over 270 infections, with restrictions imposed on some municipalities. Iran has reported at least 60 cases and 14 deaths.
World Health Organization (WHO) officials say it's still too early to declare the novel coronavirus a pandemic — but now is the time to prepare.
