Kyrgyzstan Lifts COVID-19 Restrictions To Allow All International Arrivals

BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2020) International travelers arriving from all countries will now be allowed to enter Kyrgyzstan, provided they can present a negative test certificate for COVID-19, following the government's decision to lift the coronavirus-related restrictions, a representative of the Central Asian country's foreign ministry told Sputnik on Saturday.

"On December 4, 2020, Kyrgyzstan's government decided to permit foreign citizens and stateless persons to enter the country through the borders at the international airports of Manas [Bishkek], Osh, and Issyk-Kul," the representative said.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons will require a negative PCR test for COVID-19, conducted no earlier than 72 hours, before being allowed to board an aircraft bound for Kyrgyzstan, the representative added.

The Kyrgyz government closed the country's borders back in March amid the first wave of the coronavirus disease pandemic. Exceptions were later made for a range of countries, including Russia, that were deemed to have control over the spread of the disease.

Since the start of the pandemic, 74,774 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Kyrgyzstan, resulting in the deaths of 1,290 people. On Saturday, health officials in the Central Asian country confirmed 401 new positive tests for the disease.