Photo credit: Flickr / Dennis Jarvis
Moscow has temporarily closed the Russian-Belarusian border, RIA Novosti reports
According to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, decisions to close borders are made in the order that a pandemic requires. He recalled that the borders with China and other Asian countries, which had to withstand the threat at the very beginning, were the first to be blocked. Then they limited air travel between Russia and European states, when the virus began to spread actively throughout the European Union. The entry of foreign citizens through the Polish and Norwegian borders was suspended. Passenger trains continue to run through Latvian, Moldavian, Ukrainian territory.
The prime minister called the closure of the Belarusian border a proactive step. The Belarusian authorities have not yet taken any response.
Earlier, a working group of the State Council was created to counter the spread of coronavirus infection. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin was appointed to lead the work of the group. The signature on the relevant order was put by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
The Russian authorities decided to temporarily restrict passenger flights to all EU countries from March 16. In addition, flights with Switzerland and Norway are limited, except for flights to Geneva and Oslo.
Russkiy Mir
