ULAN BATOR, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Mongolian government on Monday decided to reimpose lockdown measures here in the capital city starting Wednesday to curb resurging local COVID-19 cases.
The measures of "a state of public disaster preparedness and a 24-hour lockdown in the capital city Ulan Bator" will be in effect from 6:00 a.m. Wednesday for two weeks to stem the spread of the virus, Deputy Prime Minister Yangu Sodbaatar said at a press conference.
The decision came after the capital city's Bayanzurkh District General Hospital became a new epicenter of domestic transmissions, with over 60 cases detected there in the last few days.
The country's first round of local transmissions was detected in early November, when a woman tested positive after her husband returning from Russia finished his 21-day mandatory isolation.
The incident triggered a nationwide lockdown that was later extended in Ulan Bator and two provinces until Dec. 11.
As of Monday, Mongolia has reported a total of 993 COVID-19 cases, more than half of which were locally transmitted.
The country has recorded 509 recoveries and no deaths so far. Enditem