The COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Tajikistan when its index cases, in Dushanbe and Khujand, were confirmed on 30 April 2020.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Timeline
February 2020
On February 10, a Somon Air charter flight flew to Wuhan, Hubei, China to evacuate the fifty-four citizens of Tajikistan in the city. The flight carried humanitarian cargo including medical supplies from Tajikistan to Wuhan. On February 13, 13,000 copies of WHO guidelines and recommendations to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection were printed and distributed to Tajik citizens. At the time, more than 900 citizens who arrived in Tajikistan from China were being supervised by doctors in Tajikistan's hospitals. No cases of coronavirus were reported. On February 21, President Emomali Rahmon received a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping thanking Rahmon for his support in connection with the coronavirus outbreak. As of February 21, 1,066 Tajik citizens who arrived from China after February 1 had been put in infectious disease hospitals for quarantine, and 577 had already been discharged. No cases of coronavirus were confirmed among the quarantined. On February 26, sixty-three Tajik citizens (forty-six Tajik students from Wuhan and seventeen crew members of the Somon Air charter flight sent to retrieve them on February 11) were released from quarantine. None of the quarantined persons showed symptoms of flu-like disease. As of February 24, 1,148 Tajik citizens who arrived in Tajikistan from China after February 1 had been put in quarantine, and 955 had already been discharged.
March 2020
Tajikistan initially blocked the entry of nationals of 35 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. On March 3, 2020, Tajikistan reduced the ban to five countries: China, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, and Italy. On March 4, some mosques in the capital city Dushanbe asked worshipers not to attend Friday prayers. A rush to stockpile food led to price hikes and shortages of flour and other staples. On March 5, the Health and Social Welfare Ministry said that there is enough food in Tajikistan to feed the country's population for two years. President Emomali Rahmon assured Tajiks there was no need to panic-buy food, but stockpiling continued. Tajikistan asked people to avoid public gatherings and mosque attendance. As of March 10, 1,583 Tajik citizens who arrived from China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran and Afghanistan after February 1 had been put in quarantine, and 1,147 had already been discharged. No cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the country. As of March 14, 1,603 Tajik citizens who arrived from China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran and Afghanistan after February 1 had been put in quarantine, and 1,280 had already been discharged. No cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the country.