Russians Told to Forget Foreign Travel This Year Over Virus

(Bloomberg) -- Russians shouldn’t plan to travel abroad this year as their country and much of the rest of the world battles to overcome the coronavirus pandemic that has severed transport links, a top ally of President Vladimir Putin said.

“One year isn’t a tragedy, right? So don’t plan any foreign trips for this year,” Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of Russia’s parliament, said Friday in a interview on state television. Restrictions on movement in response to the spread of the disease will be eased only step by step and will take some time to implement fully, she said.

Russia has closed its borders and halted almost all international flights and other means of transport abroad as the coronavirus pandemic has taken hold. Officials also this month tightened restrictions on movement within Russian cities and regions, introducing a system of obligatory digital travel passes and limiting the number of trips people can make each week to curb the spread of infection.

Putin has told most Russians to stay at home until April 30, warning that the epidemic has yet to reach its peak in the country. He also postponed all planned public celebrations of the May 9 World War II victory including the Red Square military parade.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia rose by 9.3% to 68,622 in the past day, accelerating again after two days of slowdown. The death toll increased by 60 people to 615.

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