Friday 17th December 2021
For foreign workers
Kremlin defends controversial health tests
Foreign workers who stay in Russia will soon have to undergo extensive health tests. Not only cases of corona, but also cases of AIDS, tuberculosis or drug use should be detected. This could also affect long-term tourists.
The Kremlin has defended extensive new health regulations, which from January will mean significant burdens for hundreds of thousands of foreigners living in Russia. According to a law that will come into force on December 29, foreign workers in Russia will have to present blood and urine tests and be screened for AIDS, syphilis, tuberculosis, leprosy, corona and drug use.
President Vladimir Putin supports “the introduction of the most comfortable conditions possible for foreign entrepreneurs, but there are rules,” said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov in response to severe criticism of the measures by foreign business associations.
The new rules should also apply to family members of foreign workers aged six and over, as well as to foreigners who do not work but stay in Russia for more than 90 days. All those affected should also present their fingerprints and a biometric photo to the authorities. There are only exceptions for diplomats and citizens of Belarus.
The Ministry of Health also made it clear that the required tests would not have to be repeated every three months. This was provided for in the original version of the decree.
There were protests against the new regulations in Russia from the US Chamber of Commerce and the European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG), among others. Hundreds of thousands of workers from the former Soviet republics, who are of central importance for the Russian economy, could also be affected by the new regulations.