BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 6
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Kazakhstan has spent nearly $13 billion to battle coronavirus spread in the country, Kazakhstan’s President said, Trend reports with reference to TASS.
Kassym Jomart Tokayev highlighted that the measures currently being taken in Kazakhstan are unprecedented.
“Overall, the measures taken have cost the country nearly 6 trillion tenge, which equals $13 billion, or over 8 percent of the country’s GDP. That is, I say again, the measures are unprecedented,” Tokayev said.
He added that every decision on measures to battle coronavirus are being taken to fight for safety of country’s citizens.
“I am doing this on purpose, although, of course, there is criticism, including from the citizens, that we are scattering money. But I believe that we must fight for the lives and well-being of our citizens, above all. Because without a people there is no economy,” Tokayev said.
On March 15, 2020, Kazakhstan’s president signed a decree introducing an emergency state in Kazakhstan due to the coronavirus outbreak, which came in force on March 16 and was to last till April 15, 2020.
Later, by a decree of Kazakhstan's president, the emergency state period in Kazakhstan was extended till May 1, 2020, and then till May 11, 2020.
The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020.
The latest data said that the total number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan reached 4,298, including 1,299 people who recovered from the coronavirus, and 29 patients who passed away.
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