First Cases of Coronavirus Reported in Russia

One of the cases was recorded in the Zabaikalsky region and the other was in the Tyumen region, both in Siberia.

Golikova said all direct flights to China from Russia would be halted from midnight Friday, with the exception of national airline Aeroflot. Russia will also close its border with Mongolia, The Moscow Times reported.

Golikova added that the government plans to begin evacuating Russian nationals from the quarantined Chinese city of Wuhan and the Hubei province where the outbreak originated. According to preliminary data, there are 300 Russians in Wuhan and 341 the Hubei province, she said.

The head of Russia's consumer safety watchdog said that there was no risk of the virus spreading further in the country.

The new coronavirus has killed more than 200 people in China and continues to spread around the world, infecting more than 9,000 people globally.

Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk over the past week, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China.

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