The head of the WHO office in Turkmenistan, Paulina Karvovskaya, visited the country's quarantine facilities located in the cities of Turkmenabat and Turkmenbashi. She announced this today to the correspondent of RIA News.

"During the visit, we got acquainted with the procedures and measures taken by the Turkmen side aimed at preventing the import of COVID-19 into the country. We had the opportunity to meet with the staff, heads of facilities, as well as with people WHO are under quarantine in the city of Turkmenabat. These centers can play an important role in allowing rapid treatment and isolation of people with this disease, thus limiting further spread," Karvovskaya said.

At a briefing for foreign diplomats and journalists last week, Minister of health and medical industry Nurmuhammet Amannepesov said that 151 people remain in the three quarantine zones of Turkmenistan, located in the Lebap velayat, Turkmenbashi and Garabogaz, most of them are truckers and ship crews.

Assessing the situation in Turkmenistan with the coronavirus, the head of the WHO country office Paulina Karvovskaya said:

"We rely on the health authorities of Turkmenistan to inform us of confirmed cases, and we have not been notified of such cases until now."

An outbreak caused by a new coronavirus was recorded in late 2019 in Central China, spread to most countries of the world and was recognized by the world health organization as a pandemic.

Turkmenistan has taken serious measures to prevent the import of infection into the country, strengthened sanitary and epidemiological surveillance and medical control at all border and customs points equipped with thermal imagers, infrared and electronic thermometers, and conducted comprehensive preventive measures and awareness-raising activities. As a result, no cases of COVID-19 infection have been registered in Turkmenistan to date.