Armenia is taking a faster route to in-person classes than its Caucasus neighbors, but it is adopting a number of precautions to make sure that schools don’t spread the virus.
Since independence, votes in Kyrgyzstan have been contested more toughly than those in its Central Asian neighbors. But competitive does not always mean clean.
The territory's public health officials have warned against opening up to tourism, and the arrival of tourists has coincided with a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.