USAID allocates funds to help Kazakhstan battle coronavirus

By Trend

The US Government, through its the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has committed an additional 348 million tenge ($800,000) to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Kazakhstan, Trend reports with reference to the US embassy in Kazakhstan.

“Kazakhstan is taking decisive action to stop the spread of the virus. In the fight against COVID-19, the US Government stands with Kazakhstan and other partners around the world. We need to join forces as the international community. Every one of us can contribute to stopping the pandemic by staying home and following the government’s guidelines,” the US Ambassador to Kazakhstan William Moser said.

With this additional commitment, the US has now provided 713 million tenge (over $1.6 million) to help Kazakhstan respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The embassy said that through this assistance, USAID is focused on helping to strengthen Kazakhstan’s own ability to fight the disease and to support the following priority areas: infection prevention and control; preparing laboratory systems for large-scale testing; and communicating with the public on steps they can take to prevent and respond to the spread of the virus.

On March 15, 2020, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym Jomart Tokayev signed a decree introducing an emergency state in Kazakhstan due to the coronavirus outbreak, which came in force from 08:00 (GMT +6) on March 16 till 08:00 April 15, 2020.

On Apr. 14, 2020, by a decree of Kazakhstan's president, the emergency state period in Kazakhstan was extended till May 1, 2020.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan has reached 2,207. The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020.