Kyrgyzstan confirmed the first three cases of coronavirus or COVID-19 as three citizens tested positive after coming back from Saudi Arabia, the healthcare minister stated on Wednesday, a day after the country closed its borders to foreigners.
Healthcare Minister Kosmosbek Cholponbayev delivered news that the pandemic had reached the landlocked nation of six million people at a news briefing. Kyrgyzstan borders China, where the outbreak first began in December, and two of its neighbours, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, also confirmed their first cases this month.
Kyrgyzstan confirms first cases of COVID-19
All three countries and Tajikistan, another former Soviet central Asian republic, have moved to ban or limit public events and suspended Friday prayers at mosques. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have also closed their borders and the former is locking down two of its biggest cities to contain the outbreak.
The coronavirus outbreak has created a major stir around the world infecting over 180,000 people worldwide while claiming the lives of more than 7,000 people globally. The virus which originated from the city of Wuhan in Hubei province in China has affected the Asian nation the most followed by Italy and Iran.
(With agency inputs)
