The Russian authorities announced today that starting Thursday, Chinese citizens will be banned from entering Russia, which is a new drastic measure in the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus that causes pneumonia.
"The entry of Chinese citizens across the borders of Russia will be suspended starting from February 20 for work and private trips, as well as trips for study and tourism," said the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government, in charge of health Tatiana Golikova.
That official, who heads the group for the fight against the new strain of coronavirus "Covid-19", said that the decision was made "due to the worsening of the epidemic in China and because Chinese citizens continue to come to Russia."
Many Chinese are in Russia as tourists, students or work there. Russian airports are massively used as a transit point between China and Europe.
Russia previously ordered the closure of about 4.250 kilometers of the border with China, as well as the suspension of railway lines and a reduction in the number of airplane flights to Chinese cities.
According to the latest report, more than 72.000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus in China, of which almost 1.900 have died.
There are officially no patients with the new coronavirus in Russia, since the only two patients, Chinese citizens who, according to Russian doctors, had a mild infection, were discharged from the hospital last Sunday.
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