D.Nyamkhuu, Director of the National Center of Communicable Diseases: “221 passengers aboard the government arranged charter flight all went under testing for coronavirus and one person is confirmed to be infected with the coronavrius. As of today, 184 people are being monitored under isolation at the NCCD in Ulaanbaatar. Moreover, random samples taken from 25 people at local hospitals were all negative for Covid-19. And every time new coronavirus case is confirmed, all close contacts are identified and placed under monitoring. Around MNT 800 thousand is being spent on each coronavirus patient, including costs for personal protective equipment for the healthcare team members. Each team consists of seven members, including doctors, nurses and caretakers”.

Between March 15-19, the government of Mongolia arranged evacuation flights to Seoul, Japan, Berlin and Istanbul, to bring back Mongolian nationals stranded aboard due to coronavirus travel restrictions around the world.

The confirmed coronavirus cases now total 11, all of them are imported cases, including a French national and 10 Mongolians flew from abroad.

As the State Emergency Commission has announced to charter several more quarantine flights to repatriate Mongolians aboard starting from April 1, health organizations are taking preparatory measures to accommodate them.

The parliamentary election is scheduled on 24 June. Mongolia’s parliament, the State Great Khural, is unicameral, consisting of 76 lawmakers with a four-year term.

The latest research of the World Health Organization and other international organizations have shown that the novel coronavirus has an average incubation period of 5.5-19 days, not 14 days. In connection with the extended mandatory quarantine period, the SEC resolved to operate two chartered flights, changing the scheduled three flights.

Member of the SEC and Head of the National Emergency Management Agency T.Badral said “Around 1000 citizens have arrived on the last four evacuation flights and are staying in isolation. The isolation period for those citizens is extended by a week. Therefore, as there is not enough access to isolation facilities for all the evacuees to come, we resolved to conduct two chartered flights in the first place.”

Furthermore, the SEC backed up the proposal made by the Ministry of Health at the meeting that it is necessary to quarantine each individual in one room in prevention of transmitting infection to each other. Currently 2-4 citizens are staying in one room in the isolation facilities.

Regarding with the decision on isolation of each individual in separate room, the officials stated that opportunities to collaborate with hotels and entities will be studied, in compliance with the mobilization law.

Aspire’s focus remains the Ovoot Early Development Project by developing a special-purpose haul road to deliver up to 4 million tonnes per annum from the Ovoot Coking Coal Project to the existing rail head at Erdenet.

In August 2015, Aspire’s 80%-owned subsidiary Northern Railways LLC was awarded a 30-year concession to build, operate and transfer to the Mongolian Government the Erdenet to Ovoot Railway.

Northern Railways LLC along with its nominated EPC partners, China Gezhouba Group International Company Limited and China Railways 20 Bureau Group Corporation, completed a definitive feasibility study in March 2018 and are in discussions with the Mongolian Government regarding the preferred rail alignment.

While these discussions continue, the time frame to clear conditions precedent prior to the construction commencement of the railway has now been extended 18 months through to 18 September 2021.

Proactive last caught up with Aspire in November 2019 following a well-supported capital raising.

The grant, from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, will fund the immediate purchase of key medical equipment, such as diagnostic and emergency medical equipment, and supplies for personal protection.

“ADB is committed to supporting Mongolia in the fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said ADB Director General for East Asia James Lynch. “This assistance will support the government as it procures high priority equipment to address a situation that poses the potential for a prolonged public health threat in the country.”

As the virus continues to spread globally, the government has assigned the highest possible risk rating to the emergency under the Law on Disaster Protection, and allocated $4.3 million from the state budget to respond to urgent needs.

It is still wintertime in Mongolia with temperatures well below freezing and this is a time of high risk for the seasonal flu. Respiratory diseases make up a high proportion of the burden of disease in Mongolia and the Ministry of Health has identified 20% of the population at high risk.

The assistance follows ADB’s announcement on 18 March of the reallocation of $1.4 million from the Fifth Health Sector Development Project in Mongolia to procure essential medical equipment for early detection, emergency care, and management of severe respiratory diseases. ADB also approved a $225,000 small-scale technical assistance to strengthen Mongolia’s national capacity for infection prevention and control.

On 18 March, ADB announced an initial package of approximately $6.5 billion to address the immediate needs of its developing member countries, including Mongolia, as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. ADB stands ready to provide further financial assistance and policy advice down the road whenever the situation warrants. Visit ADB’s website to learn more about our ongoing response.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.

The U.S. Senate’s approval of the record fiscal program to address the coronavirus sends the bill to the House of Representatives. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that the lower body will meet Friday to consider the package, and that he expects it to pass.

In Britain, the government moved to shut Parliament and Prince Charles tested positive. European Union leaders inched toward a rescue package. Spain had its deadliest day yet.

Key Developments:
Cases top 470,900; 21,276 dead, 114,012 recovered: Johns Hopkins
Fauci warns of potential for another cycle of infections
Republican governors split on Trump stay-at-home skepticism
Fired Americans send state unemployment websites crashing
Wall Street bonuses could fall 40% this year

The Ambassador congratulated Mongolia on being one of the few countries where the spread of COVID-19 has not spread domestically, and said, “COVID-19 pandemic will subside. But the economy must be intensified. Therefore, we are ready to resume economic relations.”

During the meeting, Jiang Hongfu, President of PetroChina Daqing Tamsag LLC put a request to the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia to resume the company's oil transportation.

Mongolia has suspended the transportation of oil trucks due to the risk of the disease transmission when they cross the border. The local emergency commission of Dornod aimag has instructed PetroChina Daqing Tamsag to build a qualified disinfection facility. During the meeting, it was announced that two disinfection facilities have been built and are ready for use.

Deputy Prime Minister U.Enkhtuvshin emphasized that there is no reason to refuse to start the export once the disinfection and other preparations in prevention of COVID-19 pandemic are completed. During the meeting, as part of their social responsibility one-day salary donation (MNT 174 million) by employees of PetroChina Daqing Tamsag LLC handed over to the State Emergency Commission , according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia.

Worse still, two Mongolians lost MNT 117 million for transferring money to a German Company as an advance to bulk buy masks on 2 March. They found the company via an online advertisement.

Statistics on the customs activities show that exports were declined by 31.5 percent as of March 23 or by MNT 1.4 trillion compared to last year's as a result of measures to tackle the coronavirus spread. Most of the decline are due to falls of mining exports, which usually accounts for 90 percent of the total exports.

As of March 23, exports of zinc ore, brown coal and crude oil were decreased, however, exports of spar and molybdenum each rose by 9 and 2.4 percent respectively and lead concentrate grew by 40 percent compared with the last year’s same period.

The system is expected to bring data transparency; allow citizens to receive real-time updates and supervise land management activities, and reduce bureaucracy. It also will better protect land rights and put an end to land use and ownership disputes.

MNT 200 million will be needed each year to develop and maintain the system.