Russia closed its borders in three regions with China until February 7 as part of its safety measures to prevent the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.
The decision was confirmed by the governor of Khabarovsk region to TASS News Agency.
Authorities in Moscow also said that they had put in place special safety measures at hotels and tourist sites as the death toll from the flu-like virus rose to almost 200 people in China with over 6,000 people infected.
READ MORE: Wuhan virus death toll jumps to 170
Russia has not had any confirmed cases of the new virus yet.
The country, however, has direct flights to Chinese cities bringing in over 2 million tourists.
“We have taken special control of hotels and other places where tourists gather en masse,” Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his website.
“When alarming signs appear, emergency medical teams will be sent to carry out a thorough examination,” he added.
Russian tour operators also stopped selling package holidays to China.
