From Fox News.com (April 1):
Don't even mention "coronavirus" by name in this former Soviet Republic, otherwise you could end up in the slammer.
The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has banned the media from using the word "coronavirus" and threatened harsh punishments for those caught talking about the global pandemic.
According to international media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, the gas-rich nation is treating COVID-19 like it does not exist.
The France-based group said Tuesday that the autocratic ex-Soviet nation made sure the word also was removed from health information brochures distributed in schools, hospitals and workplaces.
According to reports from Radio Azatlyk, authorities have also forbidden people to wear face masks under the threat of jail time.
“The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.
Plainclothes police officers reportedly listen to people's conversations in lines, at bus stops and on buses. [read more]
Crazy.
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