Belarus closed its border with neighboringUkraine as Minsk claimed that there was detected plot to initiate a coup. Belarus also claimed that there were large volumes of arms smuggled to its territory, BBC elaborated. President Alexander Lukashenko said his country was a victim of an attempt by outside powers to overthrow his regime.

Norway announced on Wednesday that it would close its borders to almost all non-residents in a bid to avoid highly transmissible new strains of the coronavirus spreading, news wires reported. From midnight Thursday to Friday, Norway will introduce the strictest rules in this territory since 12 March, PM Erna Solberg told media.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday announced he was putting troops on high alert and closing the country’s borders with Poland and Lithuania, news wires reported. The decision underlines his repeated claim that the wave of 6-week protests is driven by the West.

Border closures do little to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the European Union’s public health agency said, as EU states weigh lifting some travel restrictions imposed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe.