Russia Bans Upper House Lawmakers From Travelling Abroad Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

According to Russian Upper House speaker Valentina Matvienko, visits by foreign delegations from those countries deemed “dangerous” in terms of the coronavirus outbreak have also been suspended.

Russian Upper House senators are prohibited from travelling abroad since the coronavirus outbreak has been declared a pandemic, speaker of the house Valentina Matvienko said on Saturday.

The speaker went on to say that there is no need for panic over the viral infection as the authorities are not concealing any information about the disease and the government's measures to counter its spread are effective and sufficient. Nevertheless, Matvienko noted that the danger of the new coronavirus should not be underestimated.

The toll of infected people worldwide has now exceeded 140,000 and more than 5,000 have died from the disease. The virus has spread to more than 100 countries since having emerged in China in December.

Russia has registered 45 cases of the virus as of Friday, including two Chinese nationals and an Italian citizen. Eight people have recovered from the disease and were discharged from hospitals.