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Coronavirus pandemic

No plans to introduce exit visas for Russians after borders are reopened — top diplomat

The foreign minister stressed that the right to free movement is enshrined in the Russian constitution

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Russia does not plan to introduce exit visas for its citizens after international air service is resumed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday during an online video interview with representatives of the Russian and foreign media.

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"So far, this issue is not under discussion by anyone," he said, answering a question on whether any travel restrictions for Russians will be introduced after borders are reopened. "There are no plans to introduce exit visas. I cannot imagine a situation when we would discuss it in practical terms," the minister noted.

"I don’t think anyone in the country wishes to travel abroad now. Right now, we are talking about how to achieve the lowest number of people infected or dead," Lavrov stressed. "Essentially, there cannot be any bans, because the right to free movement is enshrined in our constitution."

Lavrov stressed that after the borders are reopened and air service is resumed, Russian citizens will be able to travel freely, as it is their constitutional right.

In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 1,900,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 119,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 453,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, a total of 21,102 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,694 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 170 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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