Meduza | The number of COVID-19 cases detected per day outside of China has long
surpassed the recorded infection rate within Chinese borders.
Nonetheless, since 2020 began, Russia has reported only four confirmed
cases of the disease. Only one of those cases was found in Moscow, the
second-largest city in Europe after Istanbul. Meanwhile, in Italy,
France, and Germany, there are currently 3,089, 337, and 444 confirmed
cases, respectively. This is despite the fact that the number of
passengers who have traveled to those countries from China by air is
comparable to the number traveling to Russia. While it’s impossible to
say with certainty how this disparity arose, it is possible to offer a
few potential explanations. Whether you believe them is up to you.
Hypothesis 1: Russia closed its borders fast enough that almost nobody infected with the virus could get in
The
Russian government first increased its control over individuals
arriving in the country from China on January 23, 2020, but it did not
limit any means of transport until January 31. On that day, Russian
officials closed off direct trains from Moscow to Beijing and closed its
ground border with China to foot traffic and automobiles.
By
then, 9,923 cases of COVID-19 had already been registered worldwide,
both in China and in Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom,
and other countries. Even in Finland, which has a very small interchange
of transit passengers with China and a large one with Russia, had
registered cases. All this means that at least in theory, the new
coronavirus had every opportunity to enter Russia before transportation
to and from China was limited. In fact, it did just that: The first two
infections recorded in Russia were detected on January 31 in two Chinese
citizens traveling as tourists.
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