Uzbekistan travel restrictions/reopening Q&A

[bwv812]

Just to add another data point to cross-reference with: on Feb 9th it was reported that "In total, 81,825 people have recovered in the republic since March."

https://24.kg/english/182808_977_COVID- ... condition/

If we contrast that with the suggestion that there was 50% of the population with antibodies by the end of October, and 6% of the infected had been hospitalized, we would have expected almost 200,000 people to have been hospitalized by November. Presumably everybody who was hospitalized for covid was recorded as having covid, and if we assume that nobody else was was recorded as having covid (even though 20% of the infected reportedly sought medical attention), we have a minimum of around 200,000 who should have been reported as recovered. (Of course this is a huge under-statement, given that infections have continued to rise since October.) So clearly the numbers are not adding up.

http://www.med.kg/ru/informatsii.html

[sebhoff]

I'm slightly confused...

The travel advice regarding Uzbekistan on the website of the German Foreign Office was changed yesterday - it now claims that travellers from Germany (and some other countries) have to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/Reis ... eit/206790 Up until yesterday, it stated that Germans are not allowed to enter Uzbekistan at all.

On https://uzbekistan.travel/en/o/covid-19-in-uzbekistan/ things look very different, though - and it seems this website has some sort of official status. I also contacted Sophie, the Uzbekistan Tourism Ambassador and she wrote (with specific reference to German travellers):

If you have a negative PCR test before flying, and a negative express test on arrival at Tashkent Airport (which costs between $9 and $15), there are no quarantine restrictions. You would only have to quarantine if your test results are positive.

I'm thinking of escaping Germany for 10 to 14 days at short notice, but I wouldn't want to end up in a hotel at Tashkent airport...

Does anybody know of any other sources that could clarify the situation?
Sebastian

[steven]

The Tourism Ambassador is imo more reliable than the German Foreign Office in this case. No certainties of course, but this is the message I have gotten from all sides of Uzbek Tourism: free to come with PCR test.

[sebhoff]

OK, the Germans have now updated their info - https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/Reis ... eit/206790

"When entering Uzbekistan, a Corona rapid test is mandatory, regardless of any negative PCR test result. The costs are to be borne by the travellers. For travellers who have stayed in Germany for the last 14 days, the 14-day quarantine obligation has been lifted in the case of a negative rapid test. In the case of a positive rapid test on entry, a 14-day quarantine obligation exists. Travellers without Uzbek residence are obliged to quarantine at the hotel." (Translated with www.DeepL.com)

The next direct flight is on the 18th. Now I'm *very* tempted to escape Europe....

[steven]

The next direct flight is on the 18th. Now I'm *very* tempted to escape Europe....

I'd do the same if I was allowed out of the country.

[dhop]

Has anyone been able to get the e-visa site to work? I have been trying for the past two weeks, but the page gets stuck with the loading spinner.

[sebhoff]

The next direct flight is on the 18th. Now I'm *very* tempted to escape Europe....

I'd do the same if I was allowed out of the country.

OK - I've now been in contact with a German in Tashkent, and I've chickened out for the time being.

I might wait till I have received my shots. Given the near-light-speed organisation of vaccinations in Germany, this might take a while. <sigh>

Sebastian

[ArtsyVandelay]

The next direct flight is on the 18th. Now I'm *very* tempted to escape Europe....

I'd do the same if I was allowed out of the country.

OK - I've now been in contact with a German in Tashkent, and I've chickened out for the time being.

I might wait till I have received my shots. Given the near-light-speed organisation of vaccinations in Germany, this might take a while. <sigh>

Sebastian

What did you find out that makes you want to hold off on your travels ? I'm supposed to visit in the second half of April myself and should be buying my ticket sometime next week.

[sebhoff]

Well - first of all, she's quite certain that the amazingly low numbers published don't necessarily reflect reality. This didn't come as a surprise to me - but it was important to have it confirmed by a "local". She also shares the view that Uzbeks might have acquired something like "heard immunity" - but she's worried this might change with the virus variants and expects that a new (possibly imminent) wave would be the result. This is because basically for locals, the pandemic is over. Hardly anybody is wearing any masks, the trains are full and temperature measurements are no longer taken before boarding the train. Restaurants operate in a pre-pandemic mode. Etc. In other words, you can't rely on others to protect you - you are on your own, if you feel you need protection. And she personally does feel it is still needed. One of her colleagues (not sure whether local or not) will be travelling by taxi to Ferghana next week to attend a meeting - she wants to avoid the crammed trains. When she herself is off to Samarkand at the end of the month, she will be travelling first class to reduce possible contacts.
Obviously, there's nothing scientific about her response - it's her personal impression, and she may be overly careful. But given that I haven't been vaccinated, am no longer a teenager, and wasn't entirely convinced it was the right thing to do anyway, her message made me chicken out. Your mileage may vary.
Oh - and then there's the recently published report on massive excess mortality in Uzbekistan (mentioned earlier in this thread) - the ratio between what would be expected based on corona deaths reported and actual mortality was 30, which was the highest number for any of the 77 countries investigated. All of this doesn't instil much trust in the official picture. Oh well.
I've just found out that I'll probably be getting my shots a little earlier than expected, so I may put things off till later in the year. If you end up going yourself, please report on your experience...
Sebastian

[ArtsyVandelay]

I appreciate your detailed response mate and whatever your friend has conveyed to you makes perfect sense. I'm from Pakistan and things are pretty similar out here. The cases are on the rise yet most people are going about their lives as if there is no pandemic. In my city, there is still a ban on indoor dining and movie theaters still haven't opened up but other than that it's business as usual. It's being speculated that we might seeing some sort of a lockdown in the coming days though and educational institutions in some cities are also being shut down according to the news.

Most likely, I'll still be traveling in April because I have spent close to $400 on a tourist visa. I don't qualify for an E-Visa and had to fly to a different city to have my visa stamped. And I need a getaway. I made a trip out to Turkey a few months ago and that helped get over the jitters associated with traveling during this pandemic. I took all the necessary precautions while traveling and even though I'm a healthy young male I'm aware that I could be passing the virus on to others. Hence, upon my return from Turkey I voluntarily isolated myself for a week and only stepped out of it once I had tasted negative after getting test on the sixth day of my isolation.

WIll do something along similar lines when I travel next month. Will definitely do a trip report upon the completion of my trip.