Russia has resumed flights to bring home its citizens stuck overseas due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has caused many countries to ban international commercial flights in their battle to contain the spread of the disease.
Russian media reports say Moscow announced the resumption of the evacuation of its nationals stuck abroad on April 6 after a brief halt.
According to RIA Novosti, the first flights that were conducted yesterday carried Russian nationals from Dhaka (Bangladesh) to Nizhny Novgorod and from Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek to Yekaterinburg.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyz news agency 24.kg says Ural Airlines on April 6 carried from Yekaterinburg to Bishkek 17 Kyrgyz nationals stuck in Russia due to COVID-19.
Information about other repatriation flights will be available on the government's website, dedicated to Russia's battle with Covid-19.
Recall, Russia paused the evacuation of tens of thousands of its citizens stuck overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic on April 4
RT says about a million Russian nationals have returned to the country over the past month, by air, but at least 25,000 still remained abroad.
Radio Liberty reported on April 5 that about two-thirds of Russian citizens asking to be evacuated are based in Thailand, which recently announced onerous requirements for foreigners to legally extend their stay. Thailand is a popular destination for Russians, many of whom spend winters in the Southeast Asian country.
Russia is making a large scale effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic on its territory, closing off land borders and banning all regular and charter flights. Workers in Moscow and most regions were placed on paid leave until the end of April, with partial lockdowns introduced. Only food stores and some of essential shops remain operational, while leaving the vicinity of home is prohibited without a valid reason.
The deaths of three more Covid-19 patients – two in Moscow and one in Novgorod – were announced on Monday evening, according to RT. Two more fatalities have also been reported in Siberia. This would bring the overall total in Russia to more than 50 people.
As of late April 6, the total number of registered coronavirus cases has stood at 6,343, with almost 1,000 new infections reported in the past 24 hours.
