Russia will close its land borders with Poland and Norway to foreigners to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the country’s prime minister has said.
Mikhail Mishustin said the ban will come into force at midnight and apply to all international visitors travelling ‘for professional, private, study or tourist reasons’.
It will not include Belarusians, members of official delegations and residents of Russia.
Mikhail Mishustin said the ban will come into force at midnight and apply to all international visitors travelling ‘for professional, private, study or tourist reasons’. Pictured: Medical workers in Novomoskovsky on Saturday
Mishustin is pictured during a visit to the Kostroma District Hospital No 1 Alexander on Friday
As of yesterday Russia confirmed it had recorded 45 cases of the virus as the epicentre of the pandemic swept from Asia to Europe.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 24 residents of the city were infected and new measures were needed to stop the virus from spreading further.
‘Parents will decide whether their child will keep going to school or remain home,’ Sobyanin wrote on his website.
‘Every family can have different circumstances and kids’ immunity is different.’ He said the measure would remain in place until further notice.
Russian authorities are screening passengers returning home and ordering them to remain in self-isolation for two weeks even if they do not experience any symptoms.
As of yesterday Russia confirmed it had recorded 45 cases of the virus as the epicentre of the pandemic swept from Asia to Europe
A sanitary worker uses a thermal imaging device to screen the temperatures of people before a plenary meeting of Russia’s Federation Council in Moscow today
Sobyanin said today people living with those returning from countries heavily affected by the virus would also need to remain in isolation.
The deadly bug has killed nearly 5,000 people across the world and infected over 100,000.
In a similar move, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announced what she says will be some of the toughest border restrictions in the world to tackle the virus.
From Monday, all incoming passengers, including Kiwi citizens, will have to isolate themselves for 14 days.
The only countries exempt from the restrictions are a handful of Pacific islands that have not yet had any cases of Covid19.
In a similar move, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern (pictured yesterday) announced what she says will be some of the toughest border restrictions in the world to tackle the virus
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is set to close all schools and ordered remote teaching for at least two weeks starting next week.
The city’s Governor Anies Baswedan made the announcement as the number of coronavirus deaths in the country rose to five.
Millions of Italians are cooped up most of the day under the country’s nationwide lockdown.
Mayors of many cities, including Rome and Milan, had decided by late Friday to close public playgrounds and parks.
Health authorities have said too many people were gathering together, whether it was to kick around a football ball, or jog in groups.
Under a government decree issued earlier in the week, people had been allowed to walk, jog or bike in parks as long as they kept at least a distance of 1m between each other. But not everyone followed the rules.
Among the Italian parks whose gates were locked Saturday was Rome’s sprawling Villa Pamphilj, a hilly expanse of umbrella pines and palm trees on the former grounds of a noble family
Italy has the world’s largest outbreak of the coronavirus after China, and the death toll has surged to more than 1,000. Pitured: Catania
Among the parks whose gates were locked Saturday was Rome’s sprawling Villa Pamphilj, a hilly expanse of umbrella pines and palm trees on the former grounds of a noble family.
Italy has the world’s largest outbreak of the coronavirus after China, and the death toll has surged to more than 1,000.
Spain’s Cabinet will meet today to declare a two-week state of emergency and announce more measures to control the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Patients suffering symptoms has spiked sharply in recent days to over 4,000 infections in the country.
The measure would allow the government to limit free movement, confiscate goods, and take over control of industries and private facilities, including private hospitals.
Residents in Madrid, which has around half the infections, and northeast Catalonia woke up today to shuttered bars and restaurants and other nonessential commercial outlets as ordered by regional authorities.