Russia says on Thursday that it will ban nearly all international flights from Friday and recommend new restrictions, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 840.
According to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Russia will stop all regular/charter flights from domestic airports to and from foreign countries, except flights associated with Russians returning home from abroad and flights carried out by the Russian government.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that all Russian citizens abroad should inform the ministry about the need to return to the country before 14:00 local time (1100 GMT).
It also warned all returning citizens to be ready for mandatory quarantine restrictions for 14 days from the moment they cross the Russian border.
According to Russia’s Consumer Rights and Human Well-being Watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, the number of COVID-19 cases increased from 182 to 840 on Thursday, and a total of 38 people had recovered so far.
Meanwhile, two patients, aged 73 and 88, respectively, died of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus in a Moscow clinic on Wednesday, the Moscow Health Department said in a statement late Wednesday.
According to Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, restaurants, cafes, canteens and some shops will be closed from March 28 to April 5, during which all Russians will be given paid leave to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. (Xinhua/NAN)