Russia suspended flights to Turkey and Tanzania

Russia has suspended flights to Turkey and Tanzania from April 15 to June 1, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. The exception is made only to two flights per week on the Istanbul - Moscow route, as well as for flights from Turkey and Tanzania with Russian tourists coming back to their country. For this period, tour operators are advised to suspend sales of tour packages to Turkey, Golikova added. The decision is taken due to a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Turkey. From Tanzania, Russians in addition to cases of coronavirus, also import malaria. 

According to the head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) Anna Popova, Russia has opened flights to 30 countries, and in 21 of them there is unstable situation with the spread of coronavirus.“But the highest rate of coronavirus infection is registered in the Republic of Turkey. If in Russia there are 45 cases per 100 thousand of the population, in Turkey this figure is 455 per 100 thousand of the population per week,” she said.

After Russia gradually began to resume international flights, nearly 3 million Russians were tested for coronavirus upon returning home, Popova said. "25 thousand people out of these 3 million were tested positive for coronavirus. 80% of them arrived after holidays from Turkey," Popova noted. According to her, the situation with spread of coronavirus in Turkey is getting worse since the beginning of March, and "up to today, the growth rate has not stopped".