Nerves jangled as COVID-19 finally detected in Kazakhstan
It took the World Health Organization’s designation of the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19 as a pandemic for the authorities and the public in Kazakhstan to really begin fretting. The government sprang into action, adopting a swath of preventative measures, ranging from the closure of schools to a ban on public gatherings. The public too has begun to react with alarm, albeit in a less systematic manner. On March 13, one day after the emergency provisions were put into place, the government announced the first three cases of COVID-19 had been detected in the country. This all marks a dramatic turnaround. As recently as March 8, the date of the International Women’s Day festivity, shopping malls were brimming with people. Shoppers browsed clothing stores, burger joints and food courts were doing roaring business and, notably, very few were wearing the facemasks now ubiquitous in China and Europe. There were similar scenes at the Shymbulak ski re...
