Two Kazakh citizens have tested positive for coronavirus after returning from Germany, which are the first of the disease in the Central Asian region.
Two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Almaty, Kazakh Minister Elzhan Birtanov told an audience at a press briefing on March 13.
According to him, two Kazakh nationals – a woman and a man – have tested posted for coronavirus after returning from Germany. The man arrived in Almaty on March 9 and the woman arrived in Almaty on March 12, the minister said.
The patients are reportedly staying in a specialized hospital in Almaty.
According to Birtanov, there were 73 passengers on board on March 9. Medical workers have reportedly started to isolate them. “They will be quarantined for 14 days. On March 12, there were only 12 people, including crew members, on board. They have already been quarantined,” the minister noted.
Asked about the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in Almaty, the minister noted that Almaty mayor has the right to declare the state of emergency in the city.
The healthcare minister himself does not yet see the need for this.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria has declared state of emergency over coronavirus. The Bulgarian parliament on March 13 voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency until April 13 to contain the spread of coronavirus after the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 23.
The state of emergency will allow for travel bans to and from countries with large coronavirus outbreaks, the closing of schools and universities, and permit police to intervene when imposed isolation of infected people is not observed.
