Tajik labor migrants complain that the Tajik Embassy in Moscow is allegedly selling negative coronavirus tests, which are necessary to travel from Russia to Tajikistan by charter flights.  Representatives of Tajik diplomatic mission say this is just a recommendation.  

Reader of Asia-Plus has sent us a video from Moscow featuring a queue of migrants at the laboratory, where they should get tested for coronavirus.  

“They take a smear from us for analysis for coronavirus, but after half an hour, maximum hour and a half they give us negative coronavirus tests and they take 2,500 Russian rubles for this,” the reader said on the basis of anonymity.  

Meanwhile, representatives of the Tajik diplomatic mission say this is just a recommendation.

“We have agreed with the laboratory of the Rospotrebnadzor Central Research Institute on testing our citizens for COVID-19,” the Tajik Embassy representatives say.  

They noted that the laboratory took a smear and gave the preliminary negative coronavirus test certificates.  

They further added that it could not be ruled out that the certificates turned out to be fake.