Coronavirus: Uzbekistan reconfigures in face of rising cases

Uzbekistan on Wednesday (July 8th) ordered the entry into force of new containment from Friday to counter the new coronavirus, becoming the third country in Central Asia to see the epidemic start again after the easing of restrictions in May and June.

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Restaurants, sports halls, swimming pools and non-food shops are among the places that will remain closed from July 10 to August 1, according to a decision made by the Governmental Coronavirus Commission. Weddings, which were once again authorized with a reduced number of guests, will also be prohibited. Neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which had taken containment measures very early and had previously had a limited number of cases, are also facing a second wave of contagions with the loosening of restrictions.

In Uzbekistan, a country of 33 million inhabitants, 10,838 cases of coronavirus were officially registered on Wednesday for 41 deaths. In early June, this total stood at 3,662 cases and 15 deaths. Screenings are few, however, and the toll could therefore be much heavier.

The pandemic has hit the booming tourism industry in Uzbekistan, a country that has remained closed for a long time but which has been gradually opening up since President Chavkat Mirzioïev came to power in 2016. In an attempt to attract travelers when international air links have recently been reopened, the country has even promised tourists 3,000 dollars (2,660 euros) in the event of infection by the coronavirus while on vacation in Uzbekistan.