ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, will reimpose coronavirus restrictions from February 1 for an indefinite period.
Almaty's sanitary inspector-general Zhandarbek Bekshin issued the order on January 28, according to which the restrictions will be imposed due to a "worsening of the sanitary and epidemiological situation" in the city of nearly 2 million people.
According to the decision, the activities of theaters and cinemas, which were allowed to partially resume in October 2020, will be suspended again as of the first of next month.
Shopping malls will operate only from Monday to Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Grocery stores and pharmacies will continue operations as usual, but only 30 percent of their premises will be allowed to be occupied by customers at any one time.
Marketplaces located inside buildings will be open until 5 p.m. on regular business days and closed on weekends. Open-air marketplaces will follow the same regulations but be allowed to operate on Saturdays as well.
Sport tournaments, exhibitions, conferences, family celebrations, or mass religious rituals will be banned.
Individuals with any form of coronavirus will be hospitalized. Restaurants, cafeterias, and cafes will be allowed to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. only.
Restaurants inside shopping malls will be allowed to sell products to go only between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Public saunas, spas, and swimming pools will not operate on weekends, but will be allowed to open between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. on other days.
Mail services will be provided between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
As of January 28, the number of registered coronavirus cases in the Central Asian nation was 182,530, including 2,476 deaths.
In the last two weeks, the spread of infections across the country has been on rise, reaching 1,500 new cases daily, according to health officials.