TASHKENT, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has carried out more than 150,000 tests for the novel coronavirus so far, with the figure soon to reach half a million, a health ministry official said Tuesday.
Only maximum test coverage would allow for the gradual easing of quarantine measures, health ministry representative Habibulla Okilov told a media briefing.
On Monday, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the government to ease quarantine measures in towns and villages which have not been seriously affected by the pandemic.
Uzbekistan has registered 1,657 confirmed cases and has locked down all major cities, including its capital city of Tashkent, to contain the spread of COVID-19. Enditem
