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covid-19 (coronavirus)...
saint Petersburg russia


For your information, there are currently 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saint Petersburg, while  2 people out of that numbers were cured. Also, there is an unknown number of people locked at home in quarantine, which have not been tested.

Moscow had the highest number of people infected with the Coronavirus in Russia with 410 cases, followed by the Moscow Oblast with 41 cases. The first death of a COVID-19 patient was reported in the capital on March 19, 2020, due to a detached blood clot.

In total, 658 cases of Coronavirus were recorded in Russia, and 29 people were cured, excluding three nationals who were evacuated from the cruise Diamond Princess and tested positive for the virus.

We will be keeping this page up to date with relevant COVID-19 (Coronavirus) updates as they pertain to the city of St Petersburg. In these unprecedented times, Anastasia and I both send you all of our love. We hope to ses you soon, and in the meantime keep safe, and please see below for updates.

As it stands today, Mar. 31 @11 am local time, changes are as follows...

covid-19 travel and related information


travel by plane


If you plan to travel to St Petersburg by plane BE AWARE of the following news:

  • The Russian government has NOW imposed a ban on all flights between Russia and other countries that are operated by both local and foreign carriers, with the exception of specific charter flights designated for evacuating Russians and returning foreign citizens to their respective countries.
  • According to an instruction from the Russian government, aviation authority Rosaviatsiya has, from March 23, suspended scheduled passenger flights to all foreign countries. Charter flights will continue until all Russian citizens have been repatriated, provided that “flights to Russia carry only Russian citizens, whilst flights to other countries carry their respective citizens or citizens of third countries,” says the regulator.
  • Only Aeroflot has been granted exclusive rights to maintain international flights between Moscow and the world’s capitals, BUT in reality – due to bans introduced by other governments – it is able to operate to just 20 or so of its roughly 150 permitted routes.
  • All international flights from/to Russia has been closed.

travelling by train


If you plan to travel to St Petersburg by train BE AWARE of the following news:

  • Passengers of Sapsan trains were screened for the virus with temperature checks during the past trips, but recently all trains between St. Petersburg and Moscow have been suspended;
  • Train between Moscow and Nice has been suspended as of March, 4;
  • All passengers of Allegro train (St. Petersburg — Helsinki) were screened for the virus with temperature checks during the past trips, but recently the trains between the two cities have been suspended;
  •  Train Moscow — Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia) has been suspended;

travelling by bus


If you plan to travel to St Petersburg by bus BE AWARE of the following news:

  • Coach operators such as Lux Express and Ecolines as well as all other bus companies have canceled all their trips to St Petersburg and the whole of Russia; For more information, we recommend visiting their official websites.

travelling by ship


If you plan to travel to St Petersburg by ship BE AWARE of the following news:

  • All St. Petersburg ports, including the main one the Marice Facade, are currently closed until 16 April. For more information please visit the official website.
  • MOBY SPL with ferry Princess Anastasia going between St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm and, occasionally, Riga has cancelled all departures due to Covi-2019 till April 19, 2020. For more information please visit the official website.

other important information


In no particular order below are the latest news about the city of St Petersburg and Moscow regarding the impact of the Covid-19:

  • St. Petersburg limited mass gatherings to 50 persons; all events canceled till April 30l; all museums and libraries are closed, cinemas partly closed, but there is no quarantine;
  • All other Russian cities and regions’ everyday life has not been affected; It’s suggested Russia will see the peak in two to three weeks;
  • Empty shelves at supermarkets are occasionally seen in Moscow and St. Petersburg, though not in great numbers. Besides the classics, we mean toilet paper and canned goods, Russians actively buy rice, chicken, and buckwheat;
  • Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) said all foreigners can stay in Russia if even their documents (visas, residence permits) expire. To prolong docs, foreigners must apply to the nearest branch of the MIA;
  • Moscow’s authorities issued an order on March 21 for all sports facilities, including fitness centers, to close doors. Other regions don’t follow the suit, but are expected to;
  • Moscow’s mayor Sergey Sobyanin ordered all residents 65+ to stay home. Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin (67) will work as usual. Though, it’s not a secret that laws don’t apply to Putin. He also doesn’t obey them despite his law education;
  • Moscow and St. Petersburg authorities have increased oversight of residents subject to self-isolation. Additional police force and surveillance video systems have been deployed to handle the situation.
  • Russia’s Central Bank recommended banks to limit cash which can be withdrawn from ATMs to curb the spread of the COVID-19. It is also recommended to keep for four days the banknotes obtained from clients to ensure the virus died;
  • Moscow authorities said they are not going to close restaurants and shopping malls despite forecasts for an increase in positive tests;
  • St. Petersburg orders fitness clubs and food courts in shopping malls to close; restaurants may host up to 50 guests. The order is in effect as of March 26;
  • President Vladimir Putin announced on March 25 that the week March 28 to April 5 will be off. Employees will not lose income. Retail, transport, emergency services will work. See the full video message HERE.

For a real time update on the Covid-19 number of cases in Russia please check-out this page HERE. And, for more information on international travel and health in general during this critical time please visit the World Health Organization Website.


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