NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will lift lockdown restrictions on Aug. 17, according to the decision of the state commission chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin.
During their Aug. 13 meeting, the commission noted the positive effect of its second nationwide quarantine that has been in place since July 5 after the nation witnessed a surge in the number of coronavirus cases.
As of Aug. 14, Kazakhstan reported 101,848 COVID-19 cases and 1269 deaths. The nation also had 16,666 pneumonia cases and 198 deaths from pneumonia since Aug. 1.
Trade centers, beauty and hairstyle salons, spa centers, cosmetology clinics, fitness centers, education centers and outdoor entertainment parks will reopen, but only with strict compliance to social distancing, masks and other sanitary requirements.
Companies are still recommended to keep employees working from home.
The commission also decided to allow individual and group (no more than five people) outdoor workouts.
Public transport will resume its work with mandatory disinfection and frequent ventilation efforts.
Group events, including family and holiday gatherings, will remain prohibited while bars, night clubs, food areas at trade malls and cinemas will remain closed.
The commission said that the daily increase in coronavirus cases went down from 4 percent to 0.5 percent, while the number of recovered patients reached 76 percent.
The basic reproductive number, or R0, which refers to an average number of infections caused by one coronavirus patient, decreased to 0.78. The occupancy rate of hospital beds fell to 26 percent. Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoy reported earlier that the two indicators would weigh heavily on the final decision on whether to reopen or not.
The officials have repeatedly urged citizens to observe social distancing, and follow protective measures.
“Masks and social distancing are mandatory sanitary rules for all and must become a daily rule for all citizens. Businesses should be reopened only when they are fully ready,” said Mamin.
Kazakhstan recently also announced that it would resume flights to Belarus, Egypt, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine.
