Many cafes, cafes and restaurants have been closed down in Ashgabat since mid July, 2020.Back then it was envisaged that the break will last 10 days and the premises will be re-opened once the disinfection campaign is over.
However, correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that many restaurants and service-type businesses will be still closed.
For instance, a supermarket “Kyamil” is the only retail shop which is open in one of the largest Ashgabat shopping mall “Berkarar”. The gym resumed its operations on 4 August, 2020. Other businesses located in the shopping mall are still closed.
At the same time, correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” point out that not all restaurants have been closed down. Some of them are working in a regular mode serving customers, for instance, “ZIP” cafe” and a fish restaurant located on Yilgai Durdyerva street.
A flea market “Altyn Asyr” remains closed. Other markets are open but they are occasionally closed down for disinfection.
In the meantime, on 6 August, 2020 many employees of Ashgabat companies and organizations, including those who had been sent on unpaid leave, were again obliged to undergo a medical examination involving nasal and mouth swabs and an X-ray.
Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry again disseminated a text message to residents with a request to keep social distance and called on elderly people to stay at home, without making any reference to coronavirus and dust in the air.
Let us recall that new precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus were introduced after the visit of the WHO experts to Turkmenistan, who recommended the authorities activating public health measures “as if COVID-19 was circulating”.
The official Turkmen authorities do not acknowledge any COVID-19 cases in Turkmenistan and explain the requirements to wear facial mask by increased dust content in the air.