Residents of Chechnya complain about facing difficulties when entering republic

In contradiction to the authorities' statements, a certificate confirming that a person is not infected with coronavirus does not guarantee the possibility of entering Chechnya, local residents claim. The local people also complained about the long lines formed at the border because of verification of certificates and IDs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from July 3, intercity bus service between Chechnya and 22 cities of Russia has been resumed as a part of the lifting of restrictions imposed in connection with the spread of the coronavirus infection.

The main condition for crossing the border between Chechnya and neighbouring regions is the availability of certificates confirming the absence of COVID-19 disease, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been informed at the Chechen operational headquarters for combating the spread of coronavirus infection.

However, Lemma, a resident of Grozny, has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that people face problems even if they have such certificates. "You will not see in the neighbouring republics and other places anything similar to what is happening on our border. There is a kilometre-long line of cars at a checkpoint, and someone is allowed in, while someone is not allowed. The day earlier, I arrived from the Astrakhan Region to attend a relative's funeral. So, I had to spend three hours in line. Despite the fact that I have got a certificate that I was not infected with coronavirus, it took a lot of efforts from me to persuade them to let me in. They even turned back several people. It's just a disdain of people," the resident of Grozny said.

The certificate does not guarantee the possibility to enter Chechnya, confirms Malika, a woman from the Grozny District. "On July 4, I witnessed how an elderly woman was not allowed to go through a checkpoint from Ingushetia, although she had a certificate that she was not infected with coronavirus," the local resident told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 7, 2020 at 01:15 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.