All Chinese nationals have been banned from entering Russia amid coronavirus outbreak as the total number of confirmed cases reached more than 73,000 across the globe.
As the Kremlin confirmed, the temporary ban was taken to ensure the safety of the Russian people amid the “worsening epidemiological situation.”
“The entry of all Chinese citizens via Russia’s state frontiers will be suspended from February 20 for work travel, private travel, study and tourism,” Tatiana Golikova, the Deputy Prime Minister, announced.
As she went on to explain, the Russian government made the decision “because of the worsening of the epidemic in China and the fact that Chinese nationals are continuing to arrive on Russian territory.”
While the entry ban affects all Chinese nationals, travelers who simply need to transfer flights in the country won’t be affected.
Previously, Russia has closed its eastern border amid fears that the novel coronavirus could spread from China into the country that is home to more than 140 million people.
In a desperate attempt to prevent the outbreak from forcing its way into Russia after China revealed there are confirmed cases over all parts of the country, the Russian government has closed its eastern border.
As Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced, Russia would do “everything it could to protect its people.”
The drastic measures came along as the World Health Organization officially declared the deadly novel coronavirus a global health emergency.
According to the WHO, the “extraordinary event” represents a “public health emergency of international concern.”
“The main reason for this declaration is not for what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced.
“Our greatest concern is for the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, which are ill-prepared to deal with it.”
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Replaced!