Issyk-Kul – The COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan has demonstrated that the current practice at the points of entry could benefit from further enhancement. At a time of increased mobility, this is particularly true for verification of travelers’ medical records, history of risk exposure and detection of symptoms.

Control of communicable diseases is at the foundation of the well-established public health measures in border management. In this light, IOM and the Ministry of Health this week organized a simulation exercise on managing public health emergencies at Tamchi airport, Issyk-Kul.

Ministry of Health staff from sanitary quarantine points and staff of the border, customs, veterinary, and phytosanitary services joined to test the response and coordination mechanisms in various simulated public health emergency situations.

“Preventing and responding appropriately to emergencies is an important element of citizen safety and requires a coordinated and informed approach”, noted Ryspek Sydygaliev, head of the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance. “This training improves communication among stakeholders and will help national agencies respond more quickly to emergencies.”

The simulation exercises were funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency under the project “Enhancing Health and Border Management in Kyrgyzstan to Respond to COVID-19 and Other Communicable Diseases”.