Mongolia: Petro Matad announces Block XX operational update
01 Mar 2021
Covid-19 situation in Mongolia
Mongolia had effectively contained the COVID-19 virus in country until November 2020. Since then the number of cases in the community led to the imposition of tight restrictions and to date there have been three lockdowns. The total number of cases in Mongolia is approaching 3,000 and since the start of the year Ulaanbaatar has been on a high alert level with business operations restricted and government agencies working on a rotational basis. A full lockdown was established for 12 days over the Lunar New Year holiday period ending on 23 February. During the lockdown the government carried out mass testing of the population with 500,000 people in the city of 1.5 million tested. A vaccination programme has now begun with the goal to complete vaccination of 60% of the country's population by the third quarter of 2021. The government has introduced a $3.5 billion comprehensive plan to protect the health of its people and to revive the economy. The official Covid-19 risk level in Ulaanbaatar was reduced on 23 February and 95% of businesses were permitted to re-open. As part of the plans for the economic revival, the government has said it does not intend to impose any more widespread lockdowns unless the spread of the virus spikes unexpectedly.