Turkmenistan shuts down cargo traffic due to coronavirus

Turkmenistan has suspended the movement of freight transport through its territory due to coronavirus, according to a foreign ministry document seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The document says freight traffic, including transit shipments, is "restricted" for the whole month of April and does not outline any exemptions.

The brief document was published online by a Kazakh businessman, and two diplomatic sources in Turkmenistan confirmed they had received the same letter. The gas-rich Central Asian nation has reported no coronavirus cases on its territory and has already closed its borders to passenger traffic.