A 59-year-old French national, who has been confirmed as having the coronavirus infection, was transferred to Ulaanbaatar from Dornogobi Province early on Wednesday (11 March). He was put into quarantine on 10 March at the base of the Badrakh Energy Company, located in the Ulaanbadrakh Soum, where he worked. He is now undergoing treatment at the National Centre for Communicative Diseases.

The French father of two, was confirmed Covid-19 positive on Tuesday 10 March, being the first case in coronavirus-free Mongolia. Unfortunately, he had been in Mongolia since 2 March, where he had arrived from Moscow on an Aeroflot flight. At the airport, he was advised to quarantine himself because he had a fever; this he ignored, going to cafes and restaurants in Ulaanbaatar and finally getting the train to Dornogobi on 7 March. So far 500 people have been identified as having had contact with this individual.

According to Ts.Ganzorig, director of the Cabinet Secretariat, Mongolian doctors are doing their best to save him. The government has issued a warning to the 150 thousand Mongolians living abroad to take extra care.

As we reported, a five-member team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) flew to Ulaanbaatar on the same flight as the Frenchman. They have returned and undergone tests – fortunately proving they are Covid-19 negative. Also, 26 of the Mongolians who had direct contact with the French national, have also tested negative today.