Dozens of Tajiks stranded on Kazakh-Uzbek border amid coronavirus Fears

A Tajik man told Radio Liberty on March 16 the group was en route to Tajikistan from Russia, but got stuck in Kazakhstan at the Qaplanbek-Navoi border crossing, which was closed at midnight on March 15-16.

"The border guards told us that Uzbekistan only allows its own citizens to enter the country," said the man, who gave only his first name, Abdullo.

"We can't go back, we can't go forward, we're stuck in this transit area," said another Tajik man, Parviz.

Parviz and others put the number of Tajik nationals there at around 200.

Unable to afford plane tickets, the Tajiks opted to travel from Russia to Tajikistan by land -- a journey that takes several days through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The group said they had asked the Tajik Embassy in Kazakhstan for help, but the Tajik diplomats didn't give an immediate reply.

A Tajik diplomat in Kazakhstan told RFE/RL that the embassy was aware of the situation and was looking for measures to help resolve the problem.  The diplomat requested anonymity, as he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.

Uzbek authorities reported the country’s first confirmed coronavirus infection on March 15 and immediately announced sweeping measures to contain the virus.

On March 16, Uzbek media reported six coronavirus infections in total, with 230 people being kept under quarantine.

Kazakhstan announced a state of emergency on March 15 as the country recorded three new coronavirus infections, bringing its total to nine.

Tajikistan hasn't reported any confirmed coronavirus infections as of March 16.