Azerbaijan celebrates Novruz amid restrictions

For the first time in the post-Soviet history, Azerbaijan cancelled mass events and festivities on the occasion of the Novruz Bayrami holiday. The country is closed to tourists. In his holiday message, President Ilham Aliev did not rule out the possibility of introduction of a state of emergency because of the coronavirus infection.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 10, like other mass events, Azerbaijan cancelled the celebration of Novruz because of the coronavirus infection.

This year, Azerbaijan announced the days of March 20-28 to be non-working days on the occasion of the Novruz Bayrami holiday. However, the government operational headquarters cancelled traditional celebrations because of the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, on May 19, on the eve of the holiday, there was no traditional bonfire, which in previous years was lit prior to the beginning of mass festivities and theatrical performances in Baku Seaside Boulevard and Old Town.

In his festive video message to the people, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev also mentioned the problem of the coronavirus infection. "This year, holding mass events is not possible because of the coronavirus infection. I believe the Azerbaijani people understand the situation very well," Ilham Aliev said live on the website of the state-run news agency "Azertaj" as translated from the Azerbaijani language by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 20, 2020 at 12:43 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.