Coronavirus infections have been reported at US embassy in Afghan capital Kabul, affecting diplomats, contractors and locals, the US State Department has said.
The State Department did not say how many were affected. An official at the embassy in Kabul said up to 20 people were infected, the majority of them Nepalese Gurkhas, who provide embassy security, the Associated Press reported.
“The embassy is implementing all appropriate measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” the State Department said in a statement.
The infected staff are in isolation in the embassy while the remainder on the compound are being tested, said the embassy official. That official added that embassy staff were told they can expect tighter isolation orders.
The State Department said a sanitization of the premises was being carried out to “prevent further outbreak.”
Afghanistan has more than 29,000 confirmed coronavirus cases.
