Uzbekistan phases out lockdown measures, divides inbound flights into three levels

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Image : Uzbekistan Airways arrived in Singapore in September 2018.

According to Uzbekistan Airways and the Uzbekistan Epidemic Prevention and Control Work Headquarters, the Central Asian country Uzbekistan will phase out lockdown measures from 15 August 2020 and divide inbound flights into three levels.

The first to be liberalized involves Uzbekistan's domestic air and rail transportation. Starting from 15 August, the round-trip flights, high-speed trains and ordinary trains between the capital Tashkent and some cities will be resumed. Starting on 17 August 2020, public transportation in Tashkent except the subway and inter-regional automobile transportation will be resumed.

Starting on 20 August, comprehensive markets, building materials markets, large shopping malls, gymnasiums and fitness centers will resume operations and open up. The open-air catering industry is allowed to resume business activities, including restaurants, restaurants, cafes, etc., but banquets and other public events are not allowed.

The Uzbek Presidential Information Bureau pointed out that the abolition of quarantine and other restrictions is aimed at ensuring social stability and promoting economic recovery, but at the same time, everyone in Uzbekistan must adhere to the necessary epidemic prevention measures to avoid repeating the mistakes of the epidemic rebound in May and June.

According to Uzbek media reports, Uzbekistan’s health and aviation administration recently promulgated rules for the entry of international passengers. The Uzbek government classifies flights into three levels: red (severe), yellow (medium), and green (safe) according to the epidemic situation in the country of origin of passengers. According to regulations, flights from 8 countries including China, Thailand, South Korea, and Hungary are “green flights”. Starting from 15 August, if inbound passengers stay in the above-mentioned countries for more than 10 consecutive days, they do not need to be isolated after arriving in Uzbekistan.

Flights from EU countries and Azerbaijan other than the United Kingdom and Spain are "yellow flights", and immigrants are required to undergo a two-week home quarantine. Flights from other countries are "red flights", and entrants must be quarantined at designated locations or hotels for 14 days.

In Uzbekistan, anti-epidemic measures have been launched earlier, implemented more stringently, and have achieved better results. The cumulative number of confirmed cases and deaths are controlled at a low level in the region. According to data released by the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, as of the 14th, Uzbekistan had a total of 33,561 confirmed cases of covid of which 27,213 patients have recovered and discharged while 218 patients passed away.