Too Early To Speak About Dates Of Opening EU Borders For Russians - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2020) It is too early to speak about specific dates of opening EU borders for Russian citizens because the coronavirus threat is still in place, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"Concerning opening popular European tourist destinations for Russian citizens, it is too early to speak about specific dates now. At the moment, it is clear to everybody that the global threat of the coronavirus spread has not been overcome yet," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that it was necessary to keep caution and vigilance to maintain the emerging positive trends in the pandemic.

"That is why the decision on resuming the regular air traffic must be thoroughly developed and made with respect to the current epidemiological situation both in our country and the whole world," the statement added.

On March 27, Russia suspended air traffic with other countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The same moves were made by other countries, including EU nations. Starting from August 1, Russia has been resuming the air traffic with some countries where the epidemiological situation is normalizing.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 29.7 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 938,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.