Mongolia announced yesterday (16 March) three new COVID-19 cases. This brings the total to four including the France national. Three women aged 30-60, have been confirmed with the coronavirus infection after returning on the special chartered flights from France and South Korea. The women have started to receive the necessary treatment in the National Centre for Communicative Diseases.

According to health officials, 61 people from the 111 passengers who returned on the same flights with the three women have tested negative.  All people returning are placed into isolated quarantine immediately upon landing in Mongolia. As reported, the country has suspended all flights and closed its borders with Russia and China until 28 March for preventing spread of the coronavirus that has killed over 5800 people globally. However, MIAT, the national airline carrier, is conducting charter flights in order to evacuate the almost 190,000 Mongolians stuck in foreign countries. The charter flights have been from Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, Tokyo, Istanbul, Moscow and Berlin. Yesterday, Mongolia evacuated over 500 people from South Korea, Japan and Europe.

Furthermore, additional 88 people who had close contact with French patient were confirmed coronavirus-free, said at daily press conference on 17 March. The 57-year-old French national, was confirmed Covid-19 positive on Tuesday 10 March, being the first case in coronavirus-free Mongolia. The father of two is now undergoing treatment at the National Centre for Communicative Diseases (NCCD). The French patient is reported to be recovering.