Russia suspends visas for Chinese amid virus outbreak

MOSCOW

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday it suspends visa delivery to the Chinese citizens as from Jan.30 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to its territory.

In a statement, published on the official website, the ministry also recommended to the Russian citizens to refrain from travels to China.

"In connection with the outbreak of a new coronavirus infection in China (2019-nCoV) and in order to prevent its infiltration into the territory of the Russian Federation, citizens of the People's Republic of China will be temporarily suspended from issuing electronic visas to enter the Russian Federation through border checkpoints located in the Far East and the Kaliningrad region, as well as through air, sea, road and pedestrian checkpoints located in the territories of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region from January 30," the ministry said.

The diplomatic service asked the Russian nationals, currently staying in China, to report their personal data and contacts to the country's embassy in Beijing.

Earlier today Russia has reported its first suspected coronavirus case as a citizen who returned from China was hospitalized on Thursday.

The patient was placed under observation at an infectious diseases ward on Wednesday, the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being said in a statement.

In a separate statement, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova announced that Russia has closed its border with China to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

She said railway service will also be limited from Thursday midnight and trains will only operate between Moscow and Beijing.

A decision on air traffic will be taken by Friday, Golikova added.

"We should implement a regime that would allow the return of Russians with appropriate quarantine measures and the possibility of Chinese citizens leaving Russia," she said.

Russia’s measures come as the death toll in China has climbed to 170, with 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV.

Today China’s National Health Commission said 38 people died in the country over the past 24 hours and a total of 12,167 people were suspected of being infected.

Since the outbreak late last year, China has put Wuhan city – where the virus originated – under lockdown.

However, the virus has spread beyond China’s borders, and cases have been reported in Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, France, Malaysia, Australia, and Vietnam.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports, worldwide and several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.