MINSK, November 5. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the State Border Control Committee not to let Belarusian citizens who travelled abroad during the pandemic back in the country, Lukashenko announced at a meeting, aired by Belarusian TV Thursday.

"I ordered the commander of the border control forces to forbid entry not only to people with alien passport, but also to those smart Belarusians who travelled abroad a these trying times. We have no need for imported infection, no matter what passport," Lukashenko said. "[If] they went there to study, let them study; to work - let them work. We didn’t stop them. So let them work and heal there."

Following the meeting with the president, the Border Control Committee recommended the citizens not to leave country due to the pandemic. Starting on November 1, Belarus temporarily suspended entry for foreigners and people without citizenship through ground checkpoints. This restriction does not cover Russians transiting through Belarus to Russia. The restrictions also do not cover people arriving in Belarus via the Minsk Airport.

In the past 24 hours, 982 COVID-19 cases were registered in Belarus, bringing the total case count to 103,295.