Russia bans international flights due to coronavirus

Russia will prohibit regular and charter flights to and from other countries starting Friday in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the German press agency, dpa, said Thursday.

The ban would come into effect at midnight on Thursday Moscow time (21:00GMT), with an exception made for flights returning Russians from abroad to their homeland, according to a decree posted on Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's website.

Russia has reported more than 650 cases of the new coronavirus, predominantly in its capital and largest city, Moscow.

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