ALMATY (Reuters) -Kazakhstan will introduce mandatory COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing for people working in groups of more than 20, its health ministry said on Wednesday.
The central Asian nation started tightening restrictions again this week after reporting a spike in cases in its capital, Nur-Sultan. Officials say the Delta variant of the virus has been detected in both Nur-Sultan and Almaty, the country’s biggest city.
Aizhan Yesmagambetova, the ministry’s head of sanitary and epidemiological control, said a document was being drafted which would envisage fines for companies that fail to comply.
The former Soviet republic has reported 468,398 COVID-19 cases with 4,261 deaths.
(Reporting by Mariya GordeyevaWriting by Olzhas AuyezovEditing by Catherine Evans)
