Azerbaijan's Government Not Ruling Out State Of Emergency Over COVID-19

The government of Azerbaijan has not ruled out the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in the light of the epidemiological situation in the country, government spokesman Ibrahim Mammadov said on Thursday

BAKU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2020) The government of Azerbaijan has not ruled out the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in the light of the epidemiological situation in the country, government spokesman Ibrahim Mammadov said on Thursday.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Azerbaijan has increased to 400, with 41 of them registered over the past 24 hours.

"We see an increase in coronavirus [cases]. The speed of the spread of the infection is several times higher than the rate of recoveries. In total, 26 people have recovered. The increase in this difference is a bad trend. The situation is under control. If this trend continues, the situation will worsen, we do not rule out a declaration of the state of emergency. The government has all the plans. We hope there will be no need to do this," Mammadov told reporters.

According to the spokeswoman for Azerbaijan's COVID-19 response center, Yagut Garayeva, the infection is quickly spreading across the country and cases of human-to-human transmission have already been registered.

"In recent days, the virus has been detected throughout the republic. The numbers are already increasing by 10, 20 people [per day]. Tests are conducted in all regions. The goal is to quickly detect people infected with the virus, isolate them and others. Cases of transmission of the infection from one person to another have already been registered," she said.

The spokeswoman noted that isolation is a necessary measure to prevent the further spread of the disease.

According to the Interior Ministry, citizens will still be allowed to leave home only to buy food in a nearby supermarket, go to a pharmacy, take out the trash and or if one's life is under threat. The authorities will soon start tracking citizens' movement via electronic devices.

The country has recorded five COVID-19 fatalities as of Thursday.