On 6 March, 2020 the Ambassador of France to Turkmenistan Francois Delahousse said on his Facebook page that at the meeting hosted by Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry the deputy Minister made an announcement to foreign diplomatic missions that all passengers arriving in Turkmenistan are obliged to urgently undergo saliva screening, which might take up to 6 hours. Moreover, international flights currently land in Turkmenabat, not in Ashgabat. Yet, the Ambassador highlights that these measures were referred to as temporary and will be cancelled once the global epidemic is over.
This information was confirmed by the US Embassy, according to which starting from 4 March, 2020 the government of Turkmenistan began to redirect all international flights to Turkmenabat. Passengers are required to undergo medical screening and possibly involuntary quarantine at local medical facilities.
“On March 3, 2020 the government of Turkmenistan requested that foreign travelers limit travel to Turkmenistan for business or private purposes until 1 April, 2020”, – the diplomatic mission reports.
The website of the Embassy of France to Turkmenistan also posted a report which runs that “starting from 23 February, 2020 Turkmenistan has been denying entry to citizens of all countries, where there are confirmed cases of coronavirus, including citizens of France, current visa holders among them. Until these measures are in effect, France strongly recommends that its citizens refrain from any attempts of entering Turkmenistan.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan