Azerbaijan orders big city residents to stay home this weekend to halt virus

Azerbaijan will order everyone to stay home this weekend in big cities, including the capital Baku, in tightened coronavirus restrictions after the country's number of infections rose, the government said on Thursday. Citizens will be allowed out of their homes on Saturday and Sunday only with permission from law enforcement agencies to receive medical care or to take part in funerals of relatives.

All shops and other services will be closed, and public transport will be suspended. Azerbaijan introduced measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus on March 24, and they have been extended several times, most recently up until June 15.

However, shopping centres, cinemas, restaurants, and cafes reopened on May 31. The wearing of masks and social distancing is mandatory in public spaces. The South Caucasus country of about 10 million people has registered 6,260 confirmed coronavirus cases and 76 deaths as of Thursday.

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