INDIA’S NEIGHBOURS IMPOSE BORDER CONTROLS
Countries in Central and South Asia tightened their restrictions after a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Bangladesh tightened border controls while Sri Lanka arrested more than two dozen people for violating a nationwide curfew as part of increased efforts on Saturday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in densely populated South Asia.
The region, home to 1.9 billion people, appears to have been less hard hit than elsewhere in the world but the rate of new infections in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka has accelerated, with 869 detected cases and seven deaths. Officials worry that countries in the region will prove particularly susceptible to the virus, given poor health facilities and infrastructure in many areas. Bangladesh banned the arrival of all flights from midnight except from China, Hong Kong and Thailand, after 20 people tested positive, a senior civil aviation official said.
At Dhaka airport, authorities started marking the hands of passengers who had been instructed to home quarantine.
In Sri Lanka, which has reported 72 confirmed cases, police arrested 30 people from various parts of the country for violating curfew, a police spokesman said, adding the curfew has been imposed till Monday morning. The Pakistan government requested people self-quarantine for at least another 45 days as the country reported its third coronavirus death and the total number of confirmed cases rose to 481.
In central Asia, authorities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have announced fresh restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus as the number of cases in Central Asia snowballed.
In Kazakhstan, where 53 cases have been confirmed, authorities said on Saturday they were closing all parks in Almaty, the country’s biggest city, which was this week put on lockdown along with capital city Nursultan.
Over the last two days, police and National Guard servicemen have also locked down several residential buildings in Almaty where infected people lived.
In Uzbekistan, with 33 confirmed cases, the government said late on Friday it was shutting down all entertainment venues and tea houses and banning largescale wedding parties and other family ceremonies.
In Turkmenistan, which has so far reported no coronavirus cases, locals travelling to and from the capital, Ashgabat, said that officials at checkpoints installed around the city informed them that non-essential travel was banned. The Turkmen government, which earlier suspended all international flights, has made no official announcements on the scope and duration of the new restrictions. The government of Kyrgyzstan, where the number of coronavirus cases doubled overnight to 12, said on Saturday it was considering declaring a state of emergency from Sunday and has already locked down the provincial districts where the infection had been diagnosed.