TASHKENT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2020) The authorities of Uzbekistan has decided to close the country's borders starting from Monday due to the spread of the coronavirus, the government's operational headquarters has said.
"From 00:01 on March 23 [19.01 GMT Sunday], for all persons (except for citizens of other countries leaving Uzbekistan), the existing border crossing points are closed," it said in a statement on Telegram.
According to the country's health ministry, the first case of COVID-19 in the republic was revealed on March 15. The patient was a woman who returned from France. By Sunday morning, the number of those infected increased to 42.
The authorities of Uzbekistan quarantined 881 citizens of the country, who had arrived on Sunday by air from Russia, Malaysia and Turkey, for two weeks in specialized centers in the country's regions, a spokesperson for the operational headquarters told Sputnik.
