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Northern and Central Asia Topics specific to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, China, Japan and Korea
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Curious kid in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia



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  #1  
Old 25 Feb 2020
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COVID-19: North & Central Asia border closures and travel restrictions

This thread is ment to exchange information about
- travel restrictions in Central Asia due to the Corona virus/Covid-19
- any other news about Corona in these countries.

Our original plan is to travel through the STANs and Russia from April to autumn. We still stick to it, but chances are high that closed borders or similar obstacles might influence our trip.

Right now I am aware of two border restrictions:
- Russia closed their border to China and to Mongolia last week. The first could be read "everywhere", the second was reported by two seperate German motorcycle travellers.
- The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this on their offical page:
On 18.02.2020 Kazakstan introduced preventive measurments against Corona:
1) Charantine in hospital for travellers, who´ve been to China in the last 14 days.
2) Limitation of travel-freedom / kind of "soft" charantine for people who visited countries with sigificant numbers of infections within the last 14 days (e.g. Singapur, Hongkong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Iran, Northkorea, Southkorea and Italy)
3) Travellers from countries with insignificant numbers of infections have to be available for 24 days for medical inspection (remote monitoring).

The latest might be a bad translation by me and I have no further information of how this remote monitoring might work. But I have a feeling that our kind of travelling = zigzaging through the contry without a fixed agenda/route, including bushcamping, is not what they would allow these days.

Beside the risk of not being allowed into one of the countries I see the danger of an outbrake in one of them while we are there. In consequence Russia will most likely close their borders, which would block our way back home.

Underdeveloped countries like Tadjikistan und Kyrgystan are neighbours of China and once the virus is there, they have not the resources to cope with it. Thereby it will spread rapidly in those countries.

Cheers

Panny

Last edited by Chris Scott; 14 Mar 2020 at 19:22.
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  #2  
Old 25 Feb 2020
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Hi Panny

We (two guys on KTM 790R) are due to leave on 10/4...plan was to go to bottom of Italy and ferry across to Durres and onwards through Greece, Turkey, Georgia , Azerbaijan and ferry across to Turkmenistan then the stans through to China and meet guide to take us along to Laos......the guide has asked if we can postpone till September but thats not possible so we were going to head towards China and if all fails head across Kazakhstan and towards home... now Italy is a problem so we were going to reroute via Croatia to Istanbul but I'm beginning to think this is becoming no longer a pleasure ride and more a case of dodging the bullets.....
We will sit tight for a couple of weeks and see what happens......
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  #3  
Old 25 Feb 2020
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For the Mongolian border:

I asked my relatives in Mongolia ( and there are some who really know about these things )

The Mongolian-Russian border was closed for Tsaagan Sar , which is the Mongolian Lunar new year.
Also some cities like UB and Darkhan were closed during Tsaagan Sar.

In the situation of the corona virus the Mongolian Government did not want people to travel around through the whole country in this situation.

There the borders and cities will be opened again on 27th of February

The Russian border to Mongolia stays closed to Chinese Citizens or travellers who have been in China for the last 3 month.

But they will be open for the rest.
At least as long it does not change the situation in a bad way.
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  #4  
Old 25 Feb 2020
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Kazakhstan has instituted modest monitoring measures for travelers outside of the stricter ones for Chinese nationals.

They have no reported cases as of now.

See here https://kz.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

This of course will change frequently.

Dan
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  #5  
Old 25 Feb 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vtbeemer View Post
Kazakhstan has instituted modest monitoring measures for travelers outside of the stricter ones for Chinese nationals.

They have no reported cases as of now.

See here https://kz.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

Hi Dan,

that´s, what I listed above under number 3.
Your link gave me at least a better understanding of this "remote monitoring":
QUOTE
Individuals arriving from these countries will be subject to 24 days of daily medical monitoring by telephone following their arrival to Kazakhstan.
END OF QUOTE.


Thanks
Panny
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  #6  
Old 26 Feb 2020
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Kyrgyzstan

So far as I am informed:
- Chinese border closed since beginning of February.
- No infections public till now in Kyrgyzstan.

Live as usual here and soon ready for gravel n' dust!
Chears!
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  #7  
Old 26 Feb 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Panny View Post
Hi Dan,

that´s, what I listed above under number 3.
Your link gave me at least a better understanding of this "remote monitoring":
QUOTE
Individuals arriving from these countries will be subject to 24 days of daily medical monitoring by telephone following their arrival to Kazakhstan.
END OF QUOTE.


Thanks
Panny

The key is the direct link to the US consular website which is live and updated for US citizens and other countries also. I’ve noticed it already updated in the few days that I have been following it.


Dan
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  #8  
Old 1 Mar 2020
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I'm also planning a trip to the 'Stans, Pamir highway and Iran, leaving end of April till beginning of October.
I feel at this moment it's better to skip Iran.

@gsadvman Where and wich ferry do you take and how organize the visa?
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  #9  
Old 2 Mar 2020
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See this discussion on another forum that focuses on Central Asia travel:

Corona virus border closures

It's a long discussion, and I don't know if the original poster is updating the very first post (that appears to be the case, but I can't be sure). But the participants in that discussion are mostly on-site in Central Asia, so I think the information you will find there is credible.

Michael
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  #10  
Old 2 Mar 2020
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Exclamation Kyrgyzstan Entry Restrictions - Corona Virus

.
Bad news
.


https://24.kg/english/145168__Foreig...er_Kyrgyzstan/


https://24.kg/english/145109_Kyrgyzs...ral_countries/
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  #11  
Old 2 Mar 2020
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Exclamation Tajikistan Entry Restrictions - Corona Virus

.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...KBN20P28G?il=0


https://asiaplustj.info/en/news/taji...zhdan-35-stran
.


Quote:
В списке стран, гражданам которых временно запрещен въезд в Таджикистан, КНР, Япония, Корея, Вьетнам, Сингапур, Австралия, Малайзия, Камбоджа, Филиппины, Таиланд, Непал, Шри-Ланка, Индия, Финляндия, Италия, Британия, Испания, Швеция, Бельгия, Израиль, Австрия, Хорватия, Швейцария, США, Канада, ОАЭ, Египет, Иран, Ливан, Кувейт, Бахрейн, Оман, Афганистан, Ирак и Алжир.

The list of countries whose citizens are temporarily banned from entering Tajikistan, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Finland, Italy, Britain, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Israel, Austria, Croatia, Switzerland, USA, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Afghanistan, Iraq and Algeria.

More Info: https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewt...p=35910#p35910
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  #12  
Old 3 Mar 2020
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Exclamation Kazakhstan - Corona-Virus

.
- MEMO for the attention of travellers planning to visit Kazakhstan!
.

More Info: https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewt...p=35910#p35910
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  #13  
Old 3 Mar 2020
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Thumbs up Tajikistan scales down coronavirus-related travel ban

.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN20Q215
.


Quote:
DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan on Tuesday scaled down a wide-ranging travel ban introduced just days ago to prevent the spread of coronavirus, reducing the number of targeted countries to five from 35 without explaining the reasons for the move.
In a letter to travel agents and airlines seen by Reuters, the Central Asian nation’s Civil Aviation Agency said the border would be shut only to citizens of China, Iran, South Korea, Afghanistan and Italy, rather than a much broader list that included nations such Britain, the United States and Canada.
The former Soviet republic bordering China and Afghanistan has reported no coronavirus cases on its soil.
More Info: https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewt...p=35939#p35939
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  #14  
Old 4 Mar 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny013 View Post
I'm also planning a trip to the 'Stans, Pamir highway and Iran, leaving end of April till beginning of October.
I feel at this moment it's better to skip Iran.

@gsadvman Where and wich ferry do you take and how organize the visa?
We are now going to head for Istanbul overland rather than down Italy and ferry across.....then onto Azerbaijan and ferry to Turkmenistan.
Tajikistan and Azerbaijan visa done online.....easy peasy
Leaving U.K. on 10/4
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  #15  
Old 4 Mar 2020
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All of this doesn't sound good to all of us planning to hit Eurasia/Central Asia soon or for those who are stuck there

I'm on a French passport and I am also headed that way. Currently in Poland.

I can't find relevant information about what measures the Russians ( and Belarusians ) may have taken to monitor the situation apart from the border closures with China.

Does anyone know ?

Cheers,

Levelo.
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