Initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Tajikistan, the first meeting of a working group for development of the coronavirus emergency response plan took place in Dushanbe yesterday.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, Mirhamuddin Kamolzoda, noted that there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in the country so far.
According to him, necessary instructions and recommendations on prevention of the spreading of the coronavirus in the country have been given to all medical and social facilities.
The coronavirus emergency response plan is expected to be developed by March 12.
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. These kinds of policies have generated approval from the public,
Besides, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection has printed and distributed 13,000 brochures and recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) on how to reduce the coronavirus infection risk.
The Health Ministry’s current guidance is for all people traveling to Tajikistan from China, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Italy to be placed in quarantine for a period of 14 days.
On March 4, the doors of mosques across the country were shuttered. The Council of Ulama of the Islamic Center concluded at the end of discussions to adopt a fatwa recommending people to refrain from praying in mosques. Only funerals are exempt.
The Council of Ulama has also been recruited to relay the advice of health authorities by urging citizens to observe hygiene standards and to consult a doctor if they develop a temperature.
Meanwhile, CNN says that the novel coronavirus has infected more than 115,800 people — including at least 1,000 in the US — and killed over 4,200 worldwide.
