| 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Gagauzia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Gagauzia,Moldova |
| First outbreak | Wuhan,Hubei,China viaTurkey orRussia |
| Arrival date | 1 April 2020 (5 years, 7 months and 3 weeks) |
| Confirmed cases | 1,731 (as of 12 August 2020)[1] |
TheCOVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached theAutonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, inMoldova, in April 2020.
On 12 January 2020, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that anovel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[2][3]
Thecase fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower thanSARS of 2003,[4][5] but thetransmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[6][4]
Gagauzia is anautonomous province ofMoldova, a country whose first case was registered on 7 March 2020. During the first few months, dozens of suspected cases were examined, but all of them tested negative. Svetlana Duleva, head of the Health and Social Protection Department of Gagauzia, said that the fact that manyGagauz people that returned home from abroad were not isolating themselves from others for at least two weeks was concerning. She also said that there were many workers and students coming back fromTransnistria, which had 7 cases at the moment. Mihail Sirkeli, a Gagauz activist, said that people were only imitating the behavior of the autonomous authorities, which kept organizing meetings with many persons while asking people to stay at home.[7]
Gagauzia's first case was registered on the night of 1 April 2020. The infected man was atruck driver who likely became infected while traveling fromRussia toTurkey. He had already come into contact with many of his relatives, putting them all at risk. The man was sent toChișinău to be hospitalized. Doctors of Gagauzia complained about the aggressive attitude of many truck drivers, who usually do not respect safety measures.[8]
An increase in cases ofdomestic violence was reported in Gagauzia. Campaigners said they do not have the means and resources to combat the problem due to theCOVID-19 lockdown.[9]