Turkmenistan, the state of Central Asia, has banned the media from using the word "coronavirus" and has threatened with severe retribution those who speak about the global pandemic.
According to Reporters Without Borders, the government is treating Covid-19 as if it did not exist. The word was also removed from the information brochures distributed in schools, hospitals and workplaces.
According to Radio Azatlyk reports, authorities have banned the use of masks, otherwise they will be sentenced to deprivation of liberty.
Police officers, dressed in civilian clothes, eavesdrop on the conversations of people in queues, at stations and on buses.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov deserves credit for endangering Turkmenistan and isolating himself from information.
Berdymukhammedov has ruled the country since 2006 and considers himself the "protector" of Turkmenistan.
Before stopping the discussion of Covid-19, Berdymukhammedov offered citizens a book with his authorship on herbal remedies that can be used to fight the virus.
Turkmenistan is ranked last in the World Press Freedom Indies for 2019. So it is one of the most isolated countries in the world.
Turkmenistan is bordered by Iran, but no infected have been reported so far. In Iran, meanwhile, there are 47593 infected and at least 3036 dead.
Source: Fox News
