Azerbaijan imposes weekend lockdown in four major cities

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan will impose a two-day nationwide quarantine regime in four cities and Absheron region during the upcoming weekend, the coronavirus task force under the Cabinet of Ministers announced on June 4.

The lockdown will be in force from 00:00 on June 6 to 06:00 on June 8 and will be applied in Baku, Sumgait, Ganja, Lankaran and Absheron regions. Under the new lockdown rule, residents are banned to leave their place of residents unless there is immediate danger of life and health (emergency care will be provided by ambulance crews) and in order to attend the funeral of a close relative.

Work in all spheres of service and trade as well as the movement of vehicles will be suspended except for special vehicles of special purpose, emergency recovery, ambulance and authorized bodies (institutions) and the movement of official vehicles of organizations) are also restricted.

From 00:00 on 6 June 2020 until 06:00 on 8 June 2020 only the following institutions and services are allowed to operate:

- state structures and other organizations, a list of which will be compiled by the Cabinet;

- hospitals and ambulance companies;

- the activities of social service institutions, including the care of persons with mental and emotional disorders and those in need of special care;

- public services (water supply and sewerage, gas supply, heat supply, energy distribution, domestic waste collection and utilization);

- enterprises producing and supplying electricity;

- land reclamation and water management enterprises;

- communication service;

- TV and radio companies, including cable TV operators;

- cargo transportation by all means of transport;

- enterprises engaged in providing pipeline infrastructure;

- enterprises whose activities cannot be suspended for production and technical reasons;

- production, sale, storage and processing of oil and gas;

- enterprises providing security services at sites that have been suspended.

The movement of people working in authorized work, service and transport areas will be allowed by the employer after entering information about these persons on the portal "allow.e-gov.az" using an electronic signature.

In order to leave the place of residence or location on the basis specified in decision, each person must get permission by calling "102" of the Duty Part Management Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Moreover, on June 5, 2020 the reduced working hours until 14:00 was established for state institutions and agencies in the regions of Baku, Sumgait, Ganja, Lankaran and Absheron.

Physical, legal and officials are administratively and criminally liable for violation of the special quarantine regime in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The proposal to impose a weekend lockdown was suggested by associations for the management of medical territorial units (TABIB) during the briefing of the coronavirus task force under the Cabinet of Ministers on June 3.

As of June 4, Azerbaijan has registered 6.260 COVID-19 cases and 76 coronavirus- related deaths. The total number of recovered patients is 3.665.

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