“There is a novel coronavirus (OVID-19) in Tajikistan.  …We are already late with two stages of countering the novel coronavirus, and now there is the third stage,” Rahmaitllo Zoyirov, the leader of the Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan (SDPT), writes on his Facebook page.  

According to the first stage began in January when some entrepreneurs contracted the disease after visiting China and then other people got infected from them in Tajikistan.  

“The fact that older generation of Tajikistanis does not keen on tourism and our labor migrants have been left in Russia has played in our favor.  …And the first stage has passed from Tajikistan,” Zoyirov notes.  

“Despite quarantined organized for people arriving in Tajikistan from other countries, some people were able to bypass the requirement to be placed in quarantine (as a result of bribing and nepotism).  As a result, they have infected others,” SDPT leader says. 

According to him, non-recognition of the presence of COVID-19 in the country does no credit to medical workers and the government of the country.  

“We are now at the stage.  There is certainly the coronavirus in Tajikistan.  It has not yet expressed itself in the form of an epidemic.  What saves us in many ways is that the majority of people in the country have taken “training” through media and organized partial self-isolation for themselves.  Quarantine and self-isolation are the single condition to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (especially in Dushanbe and Khujand),” Zoyirov noted. 

“We can no longer “play” with this virus.  It is necessary to take urgent and prompt measures,” he added. 

According to him, all this will require financial and material resources.   

Recall, the aid comes to the country in the form of cash but also in food supplies and medical equipment.

On April 13, the European Union pledged 48 million euros (equivalent 53 million USD) to Tajikistan to help alleviate the possible impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The World Bank approved an US$11.3 million grant for Tajikistan’s Emergency COVID-19 project on April 2.

A few days later, the U.S. government promised US$866,000 to help increase Tajikistan’s ability to respond to the pandemic.

Humanitarian aid was also allocated to Dushanbe by Central Asian neighbors Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, while the International Monetary Fund said Tajikistan is among 25 vulnerable countries to receive assistance from the agency because of the pandemic.