“Crimea resorts are closed”: leader calls on Russians not to visit during pandemic

The leader of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov said that visitors should stop coming to the peninsula during the coronavirus pandemic, after a surge in traffic which was observed this weekend.

Crimea banned all hotels and guest houses from hosting tourists without negative Covid-19 test results until June 1. Still, regional authorities noted a nearly 40% uptick in Friday’s vehicle traffic into Crimea from Russia.

“I never thought that I’d make this plea to fellow citizens, but there’s no other way: I strongly ask all our citizens to refrain from coming to Crimea, both for business and leisure,” Sergei Aksyonov said.

“All Crimean sanatoriums and vacation spots are closed,” Aksyonov said in a video address posted on his social media accounts.

Crimea’s air traffic has fallen by an estimated three-quarters and rail traffic five-fold during the pandemic.