COVID-19: update on situation in Kazakhstan (as of 04/21/2020).

Dear colleagues and partners, we hope that you and your close ones are well and safe these days.

As of today, in Kazakhstan there are:

Infected persons -1 949;

Recovered persons – 447;

Passed away – 19.

The majority of infected persons are still in Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities. We extend our deepest condolences to the close ones of those who suffered from this challenging situation.

During a government meeting Askar Mamin, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan informed that the quarantine regime was alleviated in Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities. Starting from the 20th of April, 2020 industrial enterprises, the construction industry and some types of services resumed their functioning. Depending on the epidemiological situation the quarantine regime shall be gradually softened in Kazakhstan and other enterprises and business entities shall be allowed to resume operations.

Unfortunately, these alleviations do not relate to law firms and in particular our firm, however all members of our team fully work remotely. This remote work is not always convenient; however we are able and always available for support and assistance of our clients and partners.

As we previously underlined there is no certainty as to what shall be in practice related to observing or restoring missed deadlines or considering disputes related to protection of trademarks or patents or other intellectual property objects. We hope that everything will be ok, we do our best.

Currently, most of the employees of the National Institute of Intellectual Property (NIIP) are also working remotely, doing everything that is possible in this situation; however, it is now not appropriate to talk about legally approved procedure for NIIP, which is extremely important organization for protecting IP rights.

Should anything change we will inform you immediately. Please keep in touch and feel free to contact. We are able to provide many of our services online.

In conclusion we would like to say once again that our firm continues to function please feel free to contact us with instructions or for consultations. We shall do our best in this current challenging situation in Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia. Countries where we work and have regular practice: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Armenia and Georgia.

Stay safe and healthy!

Bolotov & Partners