All schools in Kyrgyz capital closed for quarantine because

BISHKEK, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- All schools in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, are closed for a quarantine because of growing incidences of flu and Acute Respiratory Viral Infection (ARVI), the press office of the Mayor's Office of Bishkek reported Friday.

The data of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Center showed a seasonal increase in the incidence of flu and ARVI in Kyrgyzstan.

A total of 66.8 percent of the patients are children aged up to 14, including 41.3 percent aged up to 4 and 25.5 percent aged 5 to 14.

The flu incidence increased by 15 percent year-on-year because of the cold weather. There are now more than 10,000 cases of ARVI in Bishkek, 60 percent of which are children-related.

School attendance has dropped sharply. According to the monitoring data of the regional centers of education, in 35 out of 93 schools, the percentage of missing children is more than 20 percent.

"In order to organize timely measures on prevention and strengthening measures on the incidence of influenza and ARVI it was decided to suspend the teaching process in the capital's schools from Dec. 5-12. As for kindergartens, they will be monitored," the report said.