Update – 29.10.2020

October 29, 2020

On Thursday October 29^th, Russia recorded 16,202 new cases of coronavirus in 84 Russian regions, raising the official number of positive results to 1,563,976, with 26,935 fatalities. Most of the new COVID-19 cases (3,670) were registered in Moscow, raising the total number of Muscovites with confirmed COVID-19 to 409,022. In the meantime, a total number of 1,171,301 Russian patients are known to have recovered from the virus.

President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday, October 28^th, that the cost of necessary medicine for coronavirus patients will be state covered, amounting to 5 billion rubles (65.4mln USD). Russian regions will also receive 10 billion rubles (127mln USD) worth of support to combat the spread of coronavirus. The allocated funds will cover transport services, personal protective equipment, and testing for COVID-19.

Previously announced requirements in Moscow have been extended: 30% of all business employees will continue to work remotely until November 28^th, e-schooling for 6th-11th grade students has been extended until November 8^th, while people over 65 and Muscovites suffering from chronic diseases will be under isolation regime until the end of November.

Wearing face masks in public places has been mandatory since October 28^th, while it has been recommended that restaurants and bars close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Face masks must be worn in public transport, taxis, parking lots, and elevators.

Temperature screens have been installed in public transport and at train stations in order to track passengers with elevated temperature and prevent them from entering, in attempt to control the spread of infection.

The city of Ufa has been added to the list of cities opened for outbound international flights. As such, international flights can now operate from 11 Russian cities: Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk, Samara, Vladivostok, Grozny, Krasnoyarsk and Ufa.

Greece has extended the travel period for Russian travelers until November 8^th. Passenger flow is still limited to 500 pax per week.

Russian tour operators are launching charter flights to Turkey and Zanzibar from the regions. Coral Travel now flies to Antalya from Arkhangelsk, Chelyabinsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Samara, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg and Ufa. The tour operator also flies from St. Petersburg to Dalaman and from Kazan to Bodrum. Meanwhile, Pegas Touristik is launching a flight program from Samara to Antalya. TUI Russia has also announced its new flight program from Samara to Antalya with Ural Airlines.

According to Aeroflot airlines CEO, Vitaly Savelyev, Russia may fully resume international flights to Europe by the end of February 2021. Market experts assume that this forecast is based on current discussions within the Russian Government.

On Thursday, October 29^th, Kazakhstan recorded 268 new cases of coronavirus, raising the official number of positive cases to 111,100, with 1,825 fatalities.

On October 19^th, due to the ongoing growth of positive COVID-19 residents in the Almaty region, new restrictive and quarantine measures were introduced with a number of restrictions:
- catering facilities (canteens, cafes, coffee houses, restaurants and other establishments) are open at a limited capacity of no more than 30 seats
- all preschools are closed, except groups up to 15 children
- all entertainment facilities (nightclubs, exhibitions, billiard and computer clubs, children’s playgrounds, indoor trampolines and others) are prohibited

From Monday, October 26^th, the number of foreign flights to and from Kazakhstan have been reduced due to the epidemiological situation in foreign countries including international flights to Ukraine, as well as flights to Germany, Belarus and the UAE. Additionally, all those arriving in Kazakhstan will be obliged to conduct PCR testing.

On Thursday, October 29^th, Ukraine recorded 7,342 new cases of coronavirus, raising the official number of positive cases to 370,417, with 6,868 fatalities.

Air Arabia has resumed regular flights to Ukraine, four times a week on the Sharjah-Kyiv route. To enter the UAE, Ukrainian citizens must present a negative PCR test at the check-in desk before departure. The test must have a laboratory seal and must be conducted within 96 hours before arrival in the UAE.

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