The US Department of Health does not recommend its citizens to visit Turkmenistan, since the level of risk of COVID-19 infection cannot be determined in the country. Such data were presented on November 1 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the US Department of Health.
In total, the document defines five levels of infection with COVID-19: "very high", "high", "moderate" (Moderate), "low" (Low) and "unknown" (Unknown). The organization included Turkmenistan in the list of countries where the risk of coronavirus infection is unknown.
“Since the current situation in Turkmenistan is unknown, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk of contracting various strains of COVID-19. If you need to travel to Turkmenistan, make sure you are fully vaccinated before traveling. Travelers should follow the recommendations or requirements of Turkmenistan, including wearing a mask and be within 6 feet of the other ", it said in the announcement.
Of the Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also received an "unknown" level. Kyrgyzstan is classified as a country with a "low" level of infection, while Russia is classified as a "very high" one.
The authorities of Turkmenistan continue to deny the presence of cases of coronavirus infection, but they restrict the movement of the population around the country, close non-food stores and catering outlets, and also force people to wear masks and get vaccinated. In addition, despite the government's promises, the WHO was not allowed into the country to conduct independent tests. According to independent media reports, over the two years of the pandemic, several waves of mass infection of the population with COVID-19 have been recorded in the country .
On October 26, the Turkmen office of the UN launched an online survey for residents of the country on the topic of public awareness of the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination against it. Among other things, the UN office hopes to receive data on the number of people vaccinated, on the sources of information about the epidemic and on the fears of citizens who do not want to be vaccinated.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan