Putin lifts lockdown amid case surge
Moscow, May 11
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared an end to a nationwide partial economic shutdown but noted that some restrictions will remain. Putin, speaking in a televised address to the nation on Monday, said it will be up to regional governors in the far-flung Russian Federation to determine what industrial plants could reopen starting Tuesday.
The announcement came amid new surge in coronavirus cases that took Russia’s tally past that in Italy and Britain on Monday. Russia is now has the third highest number of cases in the world.
The number of new cases of the novel coronavirus rose by a record daily amount to 11,656 in the previous 24 hours, making the official tally 2,21,344. Only Spain and the United States have recorded more cases than the world’s biggest country.
More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak. The Russian capital on Monday reported an overnight increase of 6,169 new cases, bringing its official total to 115,909. The country’s coronavirus response centre also reported 94 new deaths, taking the overall death toll to 2,009.
In his address Putin emphasisd that it’s essential to preserve jobs and keep the economy running provided that workers strictly observe sanitary norms.
Putin ordered the economic shutdown in late March, although key industrial plants and some other sectors have been allowed to continue operating.
Moscow will allow all of its industrial plants and construction sites to resume work starting Tuesday, and Putin said other regions may follow the example.
Non-food stores, hairdressers, car dealers and most other enterprises in the services sector remain shut. Putin emphasised that the restrictions must be lifted gradually to avoid triggering a new wave of contagion.
Official data published on Sunday showed Moscow reported 18 per cent more deaths in April this year than the same month in 2019, raising the possibility that the official death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, seriously understates the spread of the virus. —Agencies
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