Thousands of cyclists celebrate World Health Day in Turkmenistan on April 7//credit: TM government
The numbers:
— Turkmenistan has not reported any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, although reports from Ashgabat have said that the hospitals are admitting people with breathing difficulties.
— Human Rights Watch and Western diplomats have accused Turkmen officials of covering up the spread of the coronavirus.
The lockdown:
— Although there has been no official lockdown, police have erected checkpoints going into Ashgabat.
— The government said that it was stopping freight from moving across the country during the coronavirus pandemic. Turkmenistan has closed its land borders with Iran, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
Other news:
— On April 7, Turkmenistan celebrated World Health Day by holding a series of public events involving thousands of people. This goes against general social distancing restrictions generally introduced by other governments across the world.
— Reporters Without Borders reported that talk of the coronavirus had been banned in Turkmenistan and that the government was deliberately creating an “information black hole”.
— Turkmenistan Airlines suspended all its international services from April 13.
— Officials from WHO are visiting the country.