Russia to Close Borders Due to COVID-19

On Saturday, Russia announced that the country is closing all its borders from March 30 due to the jump of coronavirus cases last week. The country’s total has hit 1,264 cases and four have died from the illness, according to worldometers.info.

On Friday, the Russian government canceled all international flights. On the same day, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin called on all the regions to shut most businesses, while not giving a corresponding order. However, on Saturday, following the country’s decision to shut borders, Moscow’s mayor shut all non-essential businesses, urging everyone to stay home.

Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia shut its border with Russia on Saturday. However, “the ban does not apply to diplomats and military personnel from the Russian Federation," as the so-called interior ministry of Abkhazia said in a statement.

By Nini Dakhundaridze