Elvira Kadyrova
Kazakhstan has imposed a state of national emergency from 16 March to 15 April 2020. The relevant decree was published on the official website of the President of Kazakhstan.
The one-month emergency was imposed in connection with the WHO recognition of new Covid-19 coronavirus as a pandemic and is aimed at protecting the lives and health of citizens.
The presidential decree has authorized some important measures and temporary restrictions, such as high level protection of critical national and strategic, sensitive and protected sites and facilities, life-support systems and transport.
In addition, the functioning of large shopping centers is restricted. Entertainment centers, cinemas, theaters, exhibitions and other social gathering facilities have been suspended.
Entertainment, sports, family and memorial events are prohibited.
The country is also rolling out large-scale sanitary and anti-epidemic measures, supported by the divisions of the defence and internal affairs ministries.
Thus, the power agencies have been ordered to maintain alert regime, reinforcing anti-sabotage protection and protecting particularly important military facilities.
Medical institutions are ready to unfold health-care measures, while radiation, chemical and biological protection units are instructed to stay prepared for special treatment of territories and objects if necessary.
Entry and exit from the territory of Kazakhstan is also restricted for all types of transport. This restriction does not apply to the staff of the Kazakhstani and foreign diplomatic missions, as well as delegations of international organizations arriving at the invitation of the foreign ministry.
As of 17 March 2020, 27 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Kazakhstan, including 11 cases in Almaty and 16 – in Nur-Sultan.
Compared to many other countries, this is not a high figure for a population of almost 19-million. With targeted preventive and quarantine measures, these numbers will not grow, and probably even turn out without lethal outcomes. The introduction of a state of emergency, which will serve as a hard barrier against the spread of the virus, has to be considered in the context of strong preventive actions against the pandemic. /// nCa, 18 March 2020