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Lavrov says it will take long time to return to normal life after coronavirus pandemic

According to Russia's top diplomat, changes are inevitable

MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. It will take a long time to return to normal life after the coronavirus pandemic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during an online session of the Primakov Readings international forum dubbed Russia and the Post-COVID World.

According to him, the pandemic has already affected the economy and contacts between people — from official visits and talks to humanitarian, cultural and educational exchanges. "The widespread opinion is that it will take a long time to return to normal life. No one knows how much time it will take or what the normal life will be like but everyone agrees that some changes will inevitably take place," Lavrov added.

The Russian top diplomat pointed out that the Foreign Ministry’s central office and regional branches had been affected by the virus. "Thank God, the disease did not spread widely. Some members of our overseas missions have been impacted, too. However, all our overseas facilities kept working to provide assistance to Russian nationals stranded abroad amid border closures," Lavrov noted.

He said that the Foreign Ministry, together with the Transport Ministry, the Federal Air Transport Agency, the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing and the Communications Ministry, first compiled the lists of those who wanted to return to Russia. According to Lavrov, "efforts were also underway to provide financial assistance to those who had been left without money."

"The lion’s share of the work has been done though some people still want [to return to Russia]. A thing to note is that they made themselves known only recently. It seems they assessed the situation in the country where they were and came to the conclusion that it would be better to return home given the overall uncertainty," Lavrov concluded.