Turkmenistan: Country with no reported case of coronavirus

Despite the rapid spread of Covid-19, several countries still haven't registered a single case of infection; Turkmenistan is one of them.

Many experts are concerned that the government of Turkmenistan may be hiding the truth, which could disrupt attempts to end the pandemic, reports the BBC.

Turkmenistan is holding a mass cycling rally to mark World Health Day on Tuesday; while the world battles coronavirus and more and more countries lock down their populations.

The Central Asian country is one of the most repressive states in the world and claims it still has zero coronavirus cases.

"Official health statistics from Turkmenistan are notoriously unreliable," said Professor Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who has studied the Turkmen healthcare system.

"For the past decade they have claimed to have no people living with HIV/Aids, a figure that is not plausible. We also know that, in the 2000s, they suppressed evidence of a series of outbreaks, including plague."

Many in Turkmenistan are even afraid of suggesting Covid-19 may already be in the country.

"My acquaintance who works in a state agency told me that I shouldn't say that the virus is here or that I heard about it, otherwise I may get into trouble," said a resident of the capital Ashgabat, who asked to remain anonymous.

The Turkmen authorities are, however, working on tackling a possible outbreak. Together with UN agencies in the country, they are discussing a plan of action.

The UN Resident Co-ordinator, Elena Panova said the plan included country level co-ordination, risk communication, case investigation, laboratory diagnostics and other measures.

When asked whether the UN trusted the official figures showing Turkmenistan had no confirmed Covid-19 cases, Panova avoided giving a straight answer.

"We are relying on official information because this is what all countries are doing," she said.

"There is no question of trust because that's the way it works."

Panova said early measures on restricting travel might have contributed to lack of confirmed cases.

Turkmenistan closed most of its land border crossings more than a month ago. It also cancelled flights to China and some other countries in early February and started diverting all international flights from the capital to Turkmenabat in the north-east, where a quarantine zone was created.

However, according to several residents, some people were able bribe their way out of the zone and avoid two weeks of isolation in a tent.

Panova said everyone arriving in the country and those showing symptoms were being tested for Covid-19. However, she could not give exact figures of how many tests were conducted a day and how many test kits Turkmenistan had overall.

"What we understand in talking to government officials is that they have sufficient tests."

"However, if there is an outbreak that's a huge pressure on the health system like in any other country. So, irrespective of how much you have prepared, it usually is insufficient. That's why we are already talking to them about procuring ventilators, and also other types of equipment."

Movement between cities has been restricted and those who enter Ashgabat must now have a doctor's note.

Markets and offices are being fumigated with smoke from a type of grass called yuzarlik, used in herbal remedies, after President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said burning it would ward off the virus - despite there being no evidence.

Unlike most of the world, daily life in Turkmenistan continues as normal. Cafes and restaurants are open. Crowds gather for weddings. Nobody wears masks and mass events are going ahead.

It appears the country is in denial about admitting the major threat posed by coronavirus.