DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities have lifted almost all coronavirus restrictions, including mandatory mask wearing in public places and a temporary ban of traditional ceremonies and celebrations, including weddings.
The Central Asian country's coronavirus task force said on March 7 that the decision to lift the restrictions was made "while taking into consideration the normalization of the epidemiological situation in the Republic of Tajikistan."
The restrictions were imposed in July 2020. Wedding parties were limited to up to 40 close family members and had to be held inside private homes.
As of March 7, the number of participants in wedding parties and other traditional celebrations was raised to up to 200 people.
Tajik officials have officially recorded 17,000 coronavirus cases, including 124 deaths, in the country since mid-2020.
However, an investigative report by RFE/RL's Tajik Service in 2020 revealed that the real number of COVID-19 deaths might be several times higher, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients and later died.