‘Non-working week’ declared in Moscow as COVID-19 cases jump

Mayor says the spread of the coronavirus infection ‘has sharply deteriorated’ in the Russian capital.

The mayor of Moscow has announced a “non-working” week in the Russian capital, with non-essential workers told to stay home as coronavirus cases hit a six-month high. Sergei Sobyanin’s decision on Saturday marked a change of tone for officials in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly insisted that the country has handled the pandemic better than most. “During the past week the situation with the spread of the coronavirus infection has sharply deteriorated,” Sobyanin said on his website as the city registered 6,701 daily infections, the highest number since December last year. He added that “thousands” of hospital beds have been repurposed for coronavirus patients.