ASHKHABAD (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2020) A plane carrying medical supplies sent by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help Turkmenistan prepare for the coronavirus pandemic has arrived in the country's Turkmenabat International Airport, the Neytralnyy Turkmenistan (Neutral Turkmenistan) newspaper reported on Friday.
The WHO has sent 320,000 protective masks, 130,000 respirators, over 88,000 face shields, more than 18,000 glasses and 12,00 gowns to Turkmenistan. The aid will be transported to Ashkhabad and distributed among medical facilities.
Earlier this week, a WHO mission to Turkmenistan, which spent 10 days in the country to assess the situation with COVID-19 and strengthen its preparedness for the pandemic, left the country.
Though Turkmenistan has not reported any COVID-19 cases so far, the authorities have introduced a general mask regime, with large markets and shopping centers being closed for sanitation. In Ashgabat, restaurants, banquet halls and cafes were closed for a week. Churches, mosques and Muslim shrines for pilgrimage were also reportedly shut for an indefinite period.
