Volunteer Medics Came To Kyrgyzstan To Fight COVID-19. Now They Can't Go Home.
At the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Kyrgyzstan this summer, dozens of Kyrgyz medics generously came from Russia to help fight the virus, which had overwhelmed the poor Central Asian country's health-care system.
After several weeks of volunteer work in the pandemic's so-called red zones -- the areas with high infection rates -- many of the workers are now unable to return home due to Moscow's lockdown measures.
Russia has closed its borders to foreigners, allowing only those who have a permanent residence permit to enter. Many of the Kyrgyz medics only moved to Russia in recent years and don't have a Russian passport or long-term visa.
"Those who have Russian citizenship returned to Russia, despite having to pay for quite expensive tickets. But we're not allowed to reenter [Russia]," said Gulbahar Koshoeva, one of the medics stuck in Kyrgyzstan.
https://www.rferl.org/a/volunteer-medics-came-to-kyrgyzstan-to-fight-covid-19-now-they-can-t-go-home/30827591.html
