NUR-SULTAN: Quarantine regime in Kazakhstan’s Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent cities and in regions will be extended till the end of Apr. 2020, media reported with reference to the press office of Kazakhstan’s president. The corresponding order has been given by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym Jomart Tokayev. “Decree on the introduction of a state of emergency expires on Apr. 15. It’s clear already that the state of emergency will have to be extended at least until the end of April. We have not yet passed the peak of coronavirus outbreak. This is why I order to extend the quarantine regime in the capital, Almaty, Shymkent cities and in the regions until the end of April,” Tokayev said. On March 15, 2020, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym Jomart Tokayev signed a decree introducing an emergency state in Kazakhstan due to the coronavirus outbreak, which came in force from 08:00 (GMT +6) on March 16 and will last till 08:00 April 15, 2020. “I understand that this is an unpopular decision, because people want to go out and restore the normal, familiar life. But there is no other way out, apart from quarantine and self-isolation. These are the recommendations of Kazakh and international virologists,” Tokayev said. Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan amounted to 802 cases. The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020. The outbreak of the coronavirus began in the Chinese city of Wuhan (an international transport hub), at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has exceeded 95,000. Over 1.6 million people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 355,000 people have reportedly recovered. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
