Azerbaijan orders nationwide quarantine from tomorrow

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan held a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Ali Asadov on March 23.

According to the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the meeting focused on the situation with coronavirus infection in the country and ordered to apply a special regime to prevent the spread of the infection. The statement of the Operational Headquarters reads:

A special quarantine regime is announced in the Republic of Azerbaijan from March 24 to April 20, 2020. Taking into account the experience of different countries in combating the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and in accordance with Article 25 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Sanitary and Epidemiologic wellbeing in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in the country and its possible complications.

During this time:

1. Prohibit people over the age of 65 from leaving home. To provide social services to this category of single people in accordance with the legislation.

2. Restrict entry and exit to Baku, Sumgayit, and Absheron districts, except for the special purpose vehicles, including ambulances, emergency response, rescue, as well as trucks.

3. Suspend regional and long-distance passenger transportation in the country regardless of property type.

4. Ensure that citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan abroad with preference given to families with young children, the elderly, persons in need of medical care, and women are brought to Azerbaijan on charter flights within the established schedule with compulsory quarantine for 14-21 days.

5. Baku Transport Agency to apply individual express bus lines between 06:00 and 22:00 based on the established route between metro stations. Passengers are advised to minimize the use of the subway, give preference to land transport.

6. Prohibit gathering of individuals in groups of more than 10 in public places, including streets, boulevards, parks, and other areas.

7. It is recommended to keep a distance of 2 meters in interpersonal contacts.

8. Introduce a new operating mode in public catering establishments: set the time of on-site service for customers from 12.00 to 15.00, allow unlimited delivery and online sales;

9. To suspend the activity of shopping centers and malls in the country, except for the local supermarkets, grocery stores, and pharmacies;

10. To ensure the operation of grocery stores, pharmacies, and other vital outlets.

11. To entrust the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the control over the implementation of the requirements for the special quarantine regime.

The Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly recommends the entire population to stay at home, observe quarantine, and call the hotline 103 or 15-42 for those who feel symptoms of coronavirus.

Notably, the number of people infected with the coronavirus has increased in the world, Director-General of World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

He noted that currently, the number of people infected with the coronavirus in the world exceeds 300,000. "The World Health Organization has received information about over 300,000 cases of coronavirus infection. The pandemic is accelerating," he said.

China, with more than 81,000 people infected with COVID-19, has the highest prevalence of coronavirus in the world. Italy ranks second in the list of countries with the highest disease incidence (54,000 people diagnosed with coronavirus). Spain cases surge with 462 fatalities in recent days.

Following the outbreak and to contain the spread Azerbaijani government decided to introduce a special regime in the country from March 24 to April 20, 2020.