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"As you know, coronavirus is the number one problem on the global agenda now. The World Health Organization has already declared a pandemic, stating that Europe is the center," said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his congratulation to the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Novruz holiday, APA reports.

"The extensive spread of this disease indicates that even developed countries cannot prevent it. There are no medicines and vaccines for this disease and it is not known when they will appear. Therefore, in order to contain this disease and prevent it from spreading, we began to take practical steps from first days. On my instructions, on 24 January, a Task Force was established under the Cabinet of Ministers. It operates on a round-the-clock basis, manages the activities of all government agencies, monitors and coordinates work related to the disease. Serious measures have been taken. Since 24 January, we started working in a new format of cooperation with the World Health Organization. We invited them to our country. Following their recommendations, we took the most serious measures in our country. It is no coincidence that the representatives of the World Health Organization who arrived in Azerbaijan in March to familiarize themselves with the situation noted that the country’s leadership is taking very important and effective measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This is really the case,

As you know, all kindergartens, schools and universities are now closed. A ban on public events has been introduced. Since 14 March, special rules of conduct have been applied and the public is sufficiently informed on this issue. On my instruction, people are regularly and fully updated about the disease, its spread and consequences. Quarantine measures are being taken, new laboratories have been acquired. In a short period of time, four state-of-the-art laboratories have been acquired and currently their number has reached 10. If necessary, additional laboratories will be acquired. Ten hospitals operate in a special mode. They are located in various regions of our country, including Baku. In hospitals, patients are treated and quarantine measures are taken.

Communication with many countries is already limited and has practically been discontinued. Many flights have been canceled, practical action has been taken in connection with the closure of borders, the issuance of electronic visas has been suspended, the arrival of persons from countries with a wide spread of the disease in Azerbaijan is prohibited. I am sure that all these measures will have a positive impact. Our main goal is to prevent the spread of the disease in Azerbaijan. To achieve this, measures taken by the state alone are not enough. The state does everything necessary and allocates funds. In early March, 10 million manats were allocated to combat this disease. I declare that today, an additional 20 million manats will be allocated from the President’s Contingency Fund both to enhance the effectiveness of the fight against this disease and to further increase material support of the doctors providing services to patients with coronavirus. We are taking this into account as well. I want to thank Azerbaijani doctors once again. They are selflessly fighting this disease and putting their own lives at risk. However, of course, they are driven by a high sense of responsibility, by the oath they took. Patients should also treat doctors with great care. This is a disease not yet known in the world and the pace of its spread is not known either. In several developed countries, this disease became widespread in a matter of days. This shows that the disease has an accumulation period, after which it spreads widely. Along with all the measures being taken by the state to avoid the spread of this disease, citizens should also feel responsible in the first place. If someone feels symptoms of the disease, they should immediately consult a doctor, isolate themselves, not visit crowded places and not participate in public events without a critical need. These events have already been stopped but some irresponsible people may take action that does not comply with the rules. I want to warn everyone that rigorous measures will be taken because it is a nationwide issue, the health of our people and the security of our state. Everyone should know that in case of non-compliance with the rules announced on 14 March, they will be brought to account," said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

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