MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Russian diplomats are aiding their compatriots stranded abroad during the novel coronavirus pandemic, while the Russian Foreign Ministry tries to rectify inevitable errors in this process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.
The diplomat stated that the Russian Foreign Ministry had always dealt with the issues arising with Russian citizens abroad, so the task is not brand new for Russian diplomats. "Of course, there weren’t as many issues, and the stakes were not as high. However, one of the main tasks of our diplomatic missions has always been aiding our compatriots abroad who are in trouble," Lavrov stated.
He noted that due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, hundreds of thousands Russians have been stranded abroad. "Some have left for long periods of time (to study or to take part in an internship), some have left for tourism purposes," the minister explained. He noted that in accordance with the Russian Constitution, every Russian national has the right to return home. However, the return of Russian citizens is hindered by restrictions introduced in other states to combat the pandemic and the measures taken in Russia.
"There are some factors related directly to the spread of the novel coronavirus in Russia. There are decisions made by the Russian government, the anti-coronavirus crisis center under the Russian government to combat the main threat: to ensure that any negative consequences of the current pandemic are minimized," Lavrov said.
He stressed that the main goal is to ensure the health and safety of Russian citizens. All the measures taken by the Russian government to organize the return of Russian nationals are dictated solely by that goal, Lavrov noted.
Due to mass cancelation of international flights caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of thousands Russians have been stranded abroad. Special exit flights are organized for their evacuation. The Russian government has introduced a quota for the return of Russian nationals from abroad: 500 people a day arriving to Moscow and the Moscow Region and 200 people a day arriving to other regions. Those who remain abroad can apply for material aid.
To date, a total of 99,399 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 10,286 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 972 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.
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 3,100,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 218,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 959,700 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.