Moscow mayor says coronavirus isolation measures for Chinese citizens are not discriminatory

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin argued in a letter to the Chinese ambassador in Moscow that the city’s coronavirus prevention measures are not discriminatory because they apply to all foreign citizens arriving in the Russian capital, not only Chinese citizens.

Sobyanin wrote that all new arrivals from “states and regions damaged by the epidemic” must undergo a 14-day quarantine. He asked the Chinese ambassador to treat the matter of coronavirus prevention measures in Russia with understanding.

On February 26, Russian media outlets reported that Chinese diplomats had sent a letter to the Moscow government. In it, the diplomats asked for examinations of Chinese citizens on the city’s public transport systems to stop, arguing that they are discriminatory. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov responded by saying all coronavirus prevention measures in Russia “are applied to everyone.”

Moscow transit employees have reportedly received explicit orders to call police if they believe Chinese citizens have boarded their vehicles.

Since February 22, Moscow City Hall has reported 88 individuals for violating coronavirus quarantines. Eighty of them are Chinese citizens.