MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Russia’s consumer watchdog has ramped up health border controls due to the developing global coronavirus situation, head of the agency Anna Popova said at a videoconference meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
"We have boosted the sanitary and quarantine control on the border, it has become tighter," she said.
Popova added that the checks are now more vigorous not just at airports but also at maritime, car and pedestrian checkpoints and crossings. She also recalled that Russians returning home from overseas after May 1 will be mandated to have two coronavirus tests. According to Popova, these measures will have to prevent an explosive growth of dangerous strains of COVID-19.
"As of today, we can say that there are no dangerous trends in the development of the epidemiological process based on everything we know about the epidemiological situation in Russia. But no matter how much people are tired, masks, social distancing and disinfection should be followed," she concluded.
According to the latest statistics, more than 143 million people have been infected worldwide and more than 3,000,000 deaths have been reported. To date, 4,727,125 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 4,352,873 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 106,706 fatalities nationwide. The Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.