ULAN BATOR, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 7.3 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of this year, local media reported on Thursday, citing the country's National Statistics Office (NSO).
The country's GDP dropped to 26.4 trillion Mongolian tugriks (over 9.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-September period, the NSO said in a statement.
The decrease is directly related to restrictive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, according to experts of the statistical agency.
As of Thursday morning, Mongolia has registered 505 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including around 80 locally transmitted ones.
Mongolia entered a state of public disaster preparedness and imposed a nationwide 24-hour lockdown from 6:00 a.m. on Nov. 12 (2200 GMT on Nov. 11) with effect until Dec. 1, after reporting the first locally transmitted COVID-19 case.
Locally transmitted cases of the virus have been reported in the capital city of Ulan Bator and provinces of Selenge, Darkhan-Uul, Govisumber, Orkhon and Dornogovi so far. Enditem
