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ULAN BATOR, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator on Thursday re-entered a strict lockdown to prevent COVID-19 infections from getting worse during the traditional White Moon festival or the Lunar New Year.
The 24-hour strict lockdown came into force at 6 a.m. local time on Thursday, and is expected to last until Feb. 23.
During the lockdown, residents are prohibited from leaving home except for nearby grocery store and pharmacy visits, for emergency medical care, to purchase fuel, or for a coronavirus test, said the country's State Emergency Commission.
Thousands of civil servants are now patrolling the streets of the capital city to enforce the lockdown.
Last month, the Mongolian government made the decision not to publicly celebrate the traditional White Moon festival, which falls on Friday.
Mongolia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in March last year. So far, the country has reported 2,207 COVID-19 cases, and more than half of the confirmed cases were detected in Ulan Bator. Enditem