On 9 June, the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers extended the special quarantine regime in the country until 1 July, reported Trend.
Speaking on the decision, the head of Azerbaijan’s associations for the management of medical territorial units (TABIB) Ramin Bayramli said that the increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus, especially among the youth, was a cause for concern. “The number of patients in serious condition has also increased. From May 18 to 24, 848 new cases of infection were detected. In the following week, 1,372 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered. At that time, the number of infections exceeded the number of cured cases,” he said. He also added that cases of coronavirus infection have also been registered in government institutions.
In addition, the press secretary for the Cabinet of Ministers Ibrahim Mammadov stated that domestic flights in Azerbaijan would be resumed from 15 June, with the flights to Nakhchivan to be the first ones to resume.
He also touched upon the issue of repatriating Azerbaijani citizens from abroad, who were not able to return in time, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the closing of the country's borders. Mammadov stated that the process of returning citizens from abroad will continue in stages, and a schedule is currently being developed. He also noted that the Azerbaiiani citizens in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Middle Eastern countries would be first returned, followed by those in Europe.
Although the quarantine regime was extended in Azerbaijan, the country’s President Ilham Aliyev assured that the situation is “under full control”. “The number of infected people has been increasing in the past 10 days. This is due to the fact that during the softening period, some citizens behave irresponsibly. Nevertheless, the situation is under full control. We have enough [space] in hospitals, as well as in intensive care units,” he said.
Aliyev emphasized the installation of modular hospitals in the country provided Azerbaijan's health system with an additional 2,000 beds and highlighted that 4 of 10 of those modular hospitals were built by the private sector at its own expense, slightly reducing costs for the state. “The main goal is to provide integrated management and medical coordination to provide coronavirus patients with the necessary medical services,” added Aliyev.
The current tally of infected persons in Azerbaijan stands at 8530 with 102 reported deaths.
