Washington: Turkmenistan, a country in Central Asia imposed ban on using word ‘coronavirus’. The country has also banned wearing mask.
Claiming that no single case of coronavirus was reported in the country, Turkmenistan’s government reportedly warned local media or health information brochures against using the name of the virus.
The word also found no place in the Turkmenistan Ministry of Health’s brochures on viral diseases that are given to schools, hospitals and workplace.
No discussion on the coronavirus is allowed in the country. Police is arresting persons who are found talking about the virus.
Reacting on the attitude of the government, Jeanne Cavelier, head of Reporters Without Border’s (RSF) Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk said that denial of information not only violates human rights but also puts many lives into risk.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north and east, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west.
The capital of the country is Ashgabat. It is the largest city of the country.
Coronavirus cases globally
Globally, more than 900,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and nearly 46,000 have died since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.