Conflicting reports from Tajikistan create confusion about how COVID-19 is affecting the country. Tajikistan admitted to its first COVID-19 cases on April 30 as the World Health Organization is sending a team to investigate previous claims that the country was coronavirus free. Independent media outlets which broke stories of suspected COVID-19 deaths have been blocked as death tolls continue to rise. As Tajikistan’s neighbors and Russia limit border access to slow down virus transmission, the country’s economic and food security are threatened. This panel will explore the effects and outlook of the pandemic on the political, economic, and food security as well as the impacts on the medical system in Tajikistan as it heads towards a presidential election later this year.
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