COVID-19: 9 more test positive in Kyrgyz presidency

Nine more employees of Kyrgyzstan's presidency on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of infected employees to 17.

According to an official statement, all employees at the Presidency were tested after coming in contact with a delegation accompanying President Sooronbay Jeenbekov to Russia. Some of the delegates caught the infection.

Jeenbekov, who tested negative for coronavirus, was in quarantine and continued working remotely.

Jeenbekov arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to attend the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany.

After receiving news that two members of his delegation tested positive for the virus, the president decided not to attend the ceremony.

Before his return to Kyrgyzstan, Jeenbekov spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and expressed his regrets about not being able to attend the ceremony.