The ban doesn't apply
to the regular flights between Moscow and EU capitals.
MOSCOW, March 13.
/TASS/. Starting March 16, Russia will partly suspend regular air service with
all EU states excluding flights between Moscow and EU capitals. Flights to
Switzerland and Norway, except the ones to Geneva and Oslo, have also been
suspended, Russia’s task force for combating and preventing the spread of novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) told reporters on Friday.
"In order to
ensure the security of the state, to protect the citizens’ health and to avoid
the spread of the novel coronavirus infection on Russian territory, the task
force has decided to suspend passenger flights starting 00:00 March 16, 2020
Moscow time from the territory of the Russian Federation to the territory of EU
member states and back, excluding regular flights between Moscow and EU
capitals arriving and departing from Sheremetyevo Terminal F," the message
said.
Regular air service
with Switzerland, excluding flights from Moscow to Geneva, and with Norway,
except for flights from Moscow to Oslo, has also been suspended.
Charter flights to
these states will still be operated to transport citizens of the EU,
Switzerland and Norway back to their home countries and to transport Russian
citizens to the Russian Federation.
Earlier, Russia
partly suspended air service with China, South Korea and Iran. On Wednesday
March 11, Russia partly restricted flights to and from Germany, Spain, Italy
and France. Regular flights to Barcelona, Munich and Frankfurt were still
operated under those measures.
In late December
2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an
outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China.
On March 11, WHO officially characterized the situation with the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. The disease has spread to over 110
countries. According to official data, over 134,000 people have been infected
with the virus globally, and over 5,000 have died. There are 45 confirmed cases
in Russia.
Source: ITAR-TASS
14-03-2020
