Occupied Abkhazia forbids entry to non-Abkhaz allegedly to prevent spread of flu, coronavirus

Georgia’s Russia-controlled region of Abkhazia has banned entry of non-Abkhaz at the so-called Enguri and Psou crossing points as of February 4, 2020, allegedly in an attempt to avoid the spread of seasonal viruses and the new China-born coronavirus, the chief medical officer of de-facto Abkhazia Lyudmila Storik told Sputnik.

Storik said that the the government has made the decision in order to protect the Abkhaz population from the new coronavirus ‘as the Health Ministry cannot diagnose the virus’.

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There have been no recorded cases of the coronavirus in Georgia, though it has spread to 24 other states.

The new coronavirus, which is thought to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, China, can spread from person to person. 

The incubation period can range from two to 10 days, and causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms generally start with a fever followed by a dry cough.