The government of Azerbaijan has upheld the lockdown measures until August 1 as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and fatalities continues to climb.
"The epidemiological situation in our country has been analyzed and it has been decided to extend the quarantine regime until August 1," Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said at a media briefing of the Operative Headquarters, an ad-hoc structure that deals with the coronavirus cases in Azerbaijan.
The extended lockdown restrictions include the closure of the borders until the same date. Shopping malls, cinemas, cafes and restaurants, beauty salons and barbers, and museums in eight cities and districts, including capital Baku and second-largest city Ganja, will be closed over between June 21 and August 1 after being reopened in May. A ban on weddings and mass funerals remains in effect, while boulevards and parks will not be closed, and the metro service will operate despite restrictions.
As part of its efforts to contain the increasing spread of Covid-19, the government is reinforcing its SMS permission system, which was first applied from April 4-May 18. People will be allowed to leave their houses only after sending their ID card numbers and purposes of going out to a specific SMS number.
The lockdown first came into force on March 24 and was later extended several times, most recently until July 1.
As of June 19, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Azerbaijan stands at 11,767. Fatalities caused by the virus have reached 143, while 6,325 recoveries have been accounted for. There are currently 5,299 patients battling the virus in the Caspian country. A total of 410,475 tests have been conducted since the first infection was confirmed in February.
On June 9, three modular hospitals for treating Covid-19 patients were launched in Azerbaijan. Each hospital is able to accommodate 200 patients in 100 rooms. With the launch of these hospitals, the overall number of modular complexes in the country has now reached four. The first clinic of its kind has been opened in capital Baku on May 7.
The government plans to open six more modular hospitals in the country to accommodate around 2,000 patients.
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