Turkmenistan extends suspension of international flights

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 30 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Turkmen Airlines has extended the suspension of flights until January 31, 2021, due to measures to prevent the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic from entering the country, Trend reports, citing Turkmenportal information portal. The following flights were canceled: Ashgabat-Istanbul-Ashgabat Ashgabat – Moscow-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Saint Petersburg-Ashgabat Ashgabat – Kazan – Ashgabat Ashgabat-Minsk-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Almaty- Ashgabat Ashgabat-Frankfurt am Main-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Birmingham-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Amritsar-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Delhi-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Dubai – Ashgabat Ashgabat-Abu Dhabi - Ashgabat Ashgabat-Beijing-Ashgabat Ashgabat-Bangkok-Ashgabat Previously, the Turkmen Airlines extended the suspension of flights until December 31, 2020. Also, Turkmenistan introduced the mandatory presentation of a COVID-19 absence certificate when registering for a flight. The certificate must be provided by both citizens of Turkmenistan as well as foreign citizens and stateless persons. Previously, Turkmenistan received a shipment of medicines from the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the country. WHO/Europe experts worked in Turkmenistan at the request of the government, to support Turkmenistan in the aspects of preparedness and response to COVID-19. During the visit, the sides held a meeting where Turkmenistan presented its program to fight infectious diseases. Furthermore, the Turkmen side noted that the country follows the WHO recommendations and is currently implementing a program to ensure preparedness for countering and responding to infectious diseases. In addition, Turkmenistan is working with UN agencies to develop a third national plan that covers the humanitarian component of the country's measures to combat COVID-19. To date, Turkmenistan has reported no coronavirus cases. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva