Russia will issue official, business, humanitarian and transit visas to Chinese citizens, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today, clarifying the conditions of the general entry ban on Chinese citizens announced the previous day.
The ban takes effect tomorrow at midnight Moscow time (22.00 p.m. CET). The Russian government announced the ban yesterday in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic that emerged in China and has infected more than 75.000 people and killed more than 2.000 worldwide.
The ban was introduced due to the "worsened epidemiological situation" in China, according to a statement from the office of Deputy Prime Minister Tatjana Golikova.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified today that the entry ban for Chinese citizens is temporary and applies only to visitors with tourist, private, student and work visas. Entry to those holding official, business, humanitarian and transit visas will not be denied.
"We reiterate our readiness to continue close cooperation with China to effectively eradicate this common threat," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Russia has so far only had three confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, two Chinese nationals who were treated and released from hospital and one Russian national who was infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship which is now quarantined in Japan.
Russian authorities, however, have taken significant measures to try to prevent the spread of the virus, including hospitalizing hundreds of people as a precaution and monitoring more than 14.000 people after they returned from China.
Russia has suspended most air traffic to China, suspended all trains to China and North Korea, and temporarily suspended the issuance of work visas to Chinese nationals. Chinese students studying in Russia have been told not to return until March 1.
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