Some pilgrims traveled across the Novi Yerilovichi border believing it was open, which is not the case, Israel Public Broadcasting Tweeted. Ukrainian officials said foreigners were warned about the border closure.
Ukraine’s border guard service said 690 pilgrims had gathered at the border as of Tuesday, and the agency’s director Serieh Dayenko said more were expected on charter flights arriving in Belarus. Belarusian media have reported different numbers of pilgrims on the border, about 1,500 have already arrived.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said the border closure would be enforced until the end of September 28. About 20,000 new cases of the virus have been reported in the country in the past week, according to the Times database.
The report includes Sarah Almukhtar, Matt Apuzo, Emma Bubola, Emily Cochrane, Nicolas Fandos, Antonella Francini, Rick Gladstone, Jennifer Jet, Enomona Hartokollis, Eric Lipton, Salman Masood, Donald G. Mankill Jr., Constant Moziat Ashe Nelson, Norimitsu Onishi, Gaia Pianigini, Ronnie Carin Robin, Campbell Robertson, Amanda Rosa, Christopher F. Schutz, Michael d. Shearer, Jinnah Smialek, Eileen Sullivan, Glenn Thrush, Maria Vernekova, Sule-Lee Yeini, Eini Nelin U.
