Chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko on Thursday advised Russians to spend their holidays in their home country, saying that traveling to a nation with a different climate can put serious strain on the body.
"Vacationing in the climate zone in which one lives exerts less pressure on one's adaptive capabilities. This applies to adults as well as children," he told Interfax. "A trip abroad can often destabilize one's biorhythms."
The nation's top public health official has earned a reputation for making unorthodox advisements.
Last week, he warned against the use of air-conditioning while sleeping and against bathing in public fountains. He also proposed tea as a family-friendly substitute for beer, which he said induces "drunken stupor[s]."
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