Tajikistan confirms first coronavirus cases

Tajikistan was one of few countries in the world “virus-free” to date.

According to the ministry, five cases have been confirmed in Dushanbe and 10 in the Sughd province that borders Uzbekistan.

The republic closed its borders last month and took some steps to curb large social gatherings, but has generally been less stringent about social distancing in the absence of confirmed cases.

Almost 11,000 people have been quarantined over the last three months and 8,438 have already been discharged, the government said in a statement.