Authorities in Turkmenistan recommended on Monday that residents wear masks against " dust " and respect social distancing, while insisting that this Central Asian country remains spared from the coronavirus pandemic.
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The announcement comes after the arrival last week of a delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO), responsible for assessing the authorities' response to the epidemic in this country, one of the most closed in the world. The Turkmen government regularly reiterates that Turkmenistan has not been affected by the new coronavirus, despite cases of pneumonia reported by foreign media.
Recommended social distancing
In a statement released Monday by the public news agency, the Turkmen Ministry of Health called on people to wear masks due to " high concentrations of dust " in the air. " It is strongly recommended that everyone use personal protective equipment to protect the upper respiratory tract, " the ministry said. He also called on the inhabitants of the country to respect a social distance of one meter, without however giving an explanation. Turkmen bus and taxi drivers have already been given masks last week to wear them while on duty.
In recent months, thousands of people have taken part in large public gatherings in Turkmenistan, without wearing masks or gloves. In June, WHO recommended wearing masks on public transport and in other places where social distancing cannot be respected. Last month, Turkmen diplomats called a " false information " message from the American embassy in Ashgabat warning its nationals of possible cases of patients with Covid-19 in the country.