Press releases

25 Mar 2020

Belarus’ Healthcare Ministry expands list of COVID-19 high-risk countries

An archive photo

MINSK, 25 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian Healthcare Ministry has updated the list of countries with the difficult epidemiological situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, adding to the list Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Czechia, BelTA learned from the website of the ministry.

Those who arrive from the high-risk countries are put in a 14-day quarantine.

All arrivals to Belarus (apart from truckers who transit cargoes via the country) receive an arrival’s form and a booklet on self-isolation. Specialist at the sanitary control checkpoint take people’s temperature (using a thermal imaging camera or a non-contact thermometer) and check whether they have any health complaints.

If a person is displaying symptoms of an infection, their vehicle is transported to a separate parking space, and they are isolated until the arrival of an ambulance that takes them to a hospital (or a department) for infectious diseases. Customs and border control checkpoints are then disinfected.

The Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry determined 43 stations for truckers that transit via Belarus to refuel and rest. Sanitary and anti-epidemic measures are put into place at these stations to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spread.