Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev Cancels May 9 Parade Amid Concerns Over COVID-19 - Spokesman

Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev has decided to cancel the parade in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 in light of the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), presidential spokesman Berik Uali said on Thursday

NUR-SULTAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2020) Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev has decided to cancel the parade in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 in light of the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), presidential spokesman Berik Uali said on Thursday.

The parade is conducted annually on May 9 in Russia and other former Soviet republics.

"President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev has decided to cancel public celebrations of Nowruz [a new year among Iranian and Turkic peoples], as well as the military parade in the capital of Kazakhstan in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Victory, as a part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus," Uali wrote on Facebook, adding that small and mid-size businesses will continue to operate.

According to the country's Health Ministry, there are currently zero COVID-19 cases in Kazakhstan.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.