The Latest: Russia faces surge of virus cases in last month

Russia has reported more than 25,000 new cases of coronavirus infection, the largest number since January, as the country faces a sharp surge over the past month

MOSCOW — Russia on Sunday reported more than 25,000 new cases of coronavirus infection, the largest number since January, as the country faces a sharp surge over the past month. The national coronavirus task force said 663 patients died, down from the previous day’s 697, which was a record high. The tally of 25,142 new cases was more than 2.5 times as high as daily new infections in early June. Moscow, St. Petersburg and the region surrounding Moscow accounted for about half the nationwide total cases. Although the Kremlin says authorities are not discussing a lockdown, Moscow has imposed restrictions including requiring restaurant and bar patrons to show a code certifying they have been vaccinated or received a negative PCR test.