MOSCOW, 29 June (BelTA) – The border between Belarus and Russia closed by the Russian side in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be reopened in late July or early August, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko said while answering a question from a BelTA reporter.
“Analyzing the daily situation and the ratio of new cases to recoveries, I see that the dynamics in Moscow is excellent. The number of daily new cases are 600-700 while the number of recoveries stands at 2,000-3,000. The number of daily recoveries across Russia is also higher than the number of new cases. The situation is the same in Belarus. I believe that the border will be reopened sometime in late July – early August,” the ambassador said.
The ambassador noted that the Russian side has already eased the border crossing restrictions. He recalled that initially there was no ban on crossing the border between Belarus and Russia for freight transport in order to ensure smooth provision with essential goods. Recently the Russian government has issued an executive order to allow rotation workers to move across the Belarusian-Russian border. According to the ambassador, Belorusneft's specialists have taken advantage of this opportunity.
“At the same time, there is a constant employee turnover at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, and we find ways to quarantine them before they get to the plant,” Vladimir Semashko said.
He added that so far the embassy has helped Belarusian citizens, who arrive at Russian airports from third countries by charter flights, return home. The Belarusian embassy uses its own vehicles to take Belarusian travelers to the Russian-Belarusian border. For example, on 29 June, the embassy helped eight tourists get back to Belarus.
