ULAN BATOR, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene announced Thursday that the government has decided to impose a nationwide lockdown to curb the steep surge in local COVID-19 cases.

The government's decision came after more than 500 COVID-19 infections were reported on a daily basis in the country in recent days, mostly in capital Ulan Bator, which is home to over half of the country's 3.3 million people.

"The government made a decision to enter into the red level, the highest level of severity in terms of the spread of the COVID-19 or impose a strict lockdown starting from Saturday until April 25," Oyun-Erdene said at a press conference.

"It is extremely difficult to stop the economic cycle during this difficult time, so a one-time financial assistance of 300,000 Mongolian Tugriks (105 U.S. dollars) will be provided to every citizen of the country during the lockdown," Oyun-Erdene added.

So far, Mongolia has registered 12,780 COVID-19 cases, with 22 related deaths. Most of the confirmed cases were locally transmitted.

Local transmissions of the virus have been reported in the capital city and 18 of all 21 provinces of the country.

The Asian country had previously imposed several nationwide and partial lockdowns due to the pandemic.

The country has been fighting the pandemic since March 2020. Enditem

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