Russian tourists unable to return home from Latin America - union

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Russian tourists are unable to return home from Latin American and Asian states due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which caused suspension of flights and border restrictions across the world, the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST) informed. Many Russian tourists are forced to wait at the airports. "Tour operators continue to inform of Russians unable to return home from countries that closed their borders. The list is expanding: Argentina, Peru, the Philippines, India and Azerbaijan are now on the list," the message informs. Several dozens of Russian organized tourists are unable to leave Peru, as the country has closed its borders without prior notice, tour operators inform. Several people are unable to leave Ushuaia, the southernmost city of Argentina, from where they were supposed to leave for the Antarctic, however, the cruise company cancelled the tour at the last moment. Russian tourists are also unable to leave the island of Cebu in the Philippines. They are forced to stay at the airport where all cafes and shops are closed, the RST stated. Earlier, the RST informed that several dozens Russian tourists cannot leave Europe, namely the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, and the Canary Islands. Tour operators asked the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism for support. The agency established a 24/7 hotline for Russian travelers abroad. In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. On March 11, WHO officially characterized the situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. The disease has spread to over 130 countries. According to latest reports, over 180,000 people have been infected with the virus globally, and about 7,000 have died. There are 114 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Russia. Read more