Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Event: The government of Uzbekistan has announced flight restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19. Starting March 16, only Uzbek citizens will be allowed to enter Uzbekistan. Uzbek citizen will not be allowed to depart Uzbekistan at this time, a restriction which will apply to U.S. Legal Permanent Residents. Foreign citizens are still allowed to depart Uzbekistan.
Foreign trains have been given three days to depart. Uzbekistan Airways has also announced several flight cancellations for March and April at the following website: https://www.uzairways.com/en/important-information-0.
The Uzbek government is considering offering flights for foreigners wishing to depart. The U.S. Embassy has no additional information on the status of these flights at this time. Please check the Embassy’s COVID 19 page (https://uz.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/) for the latest updates.
The global public health threat posed by COVID-19 is high, with more than 80,000 reported cases worldwide. As of March 16, 2020, the Government of Uzbekistan confirmed a total of 6 COVID-19 cases.
In response, the Uzbekistan Ministry of Health has established an official Telegram channel to provide information related to COVID-19 information in Uzbekistan: https://t.me/koronavirusinfouz. Note that using this channel requires downloading the Telegram Application.
On March 15, 2020, Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister Aripov announced a number of measures to contain the spread of the virus in Uzbekistan, including:
1) All educational facilities, from kindergarten to universities, are closed starting March 16, 2020. Uzbek TV will be organizing televised lessons for school students.
2) All public events, including sports and cultural events, are cancelled. These limitations do not apply to weddings which can still be conducted under recently adopted regulations.
3) Private businesses who unreasonably raise prices may face legal liability.
4) Uzbekistan may organize charter return flights for Uzbek citizens abroad. Those who decide to return home will be placed under a two-week quarantine.
5) A single hotline will be established starting March 16, 2020. The number is 1003.
