NUR-SULTAN – The majority of Kazakh citizens comply with the new COVID-19 regulations, said Kazakh chief sanitary doctor for transportation Sadvakas Baigabulov.
Nursultan Nazarbayev international airport in Kazakh capital. Photo credit: nn-airport.kz
According to the new COVID-19 regulations in effect since Oct. 6, passengers arriving in Kazakhstan must present a COVID-19 test result taken no more than 72 hours prior to the flight. Kazakh citizens violating the rule are placed in a two-day quarantine, while foreigners are immediately deported.
On the night of Oct. 19, ten international flights landed in international airports of Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Aktau carrying a total of 1,136 passengers and 938 of them had the COVID-19 test results. 198 passengers did not have the documents and were sent to a two-day quarantine.
“Three foreign citizens of Russia, Uzbekistan and Armenia were deported because they had an express test result (not a PCR test),” said Baibagulov.
On the night of Oct. 16, a Turkish citizen and three Russian nationals flying from Istanbul to Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan were also deported because their COVID-19 test results were expired, according to Nur-Sultan international airport press service.
“Every day, early in the morning or late at night, our quarantine specialists accept over 150 passengers a day without the necessary documents. An enormous amount of work is being done to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. None of us wants to repeat what happened during the first wave of coronavirus, so the mobility and professionalism of my colleagues here plays a big role,” said Timur Muratov, head of the city’s healthcare department.
As of Oct. 12, Baibagulov said that 17 foreigners were deported from Almaty and Nur-Sultan airports, as they had either an expired test result or not a PCR test.
To curb the spread of the coronavirus infection as risks for a potential second wave grow globally, Kazakh Healthcare Ministry recommends reducing the number of flights to Belarus, Germany, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.
