Coronavirus in Russia

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 74 000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country.

There have been 7 497 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 58 deaths.

Russia confirmed 1 154 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases up to 7 497 and marking a new record one-day increase in infections.

President Vladimir Putin announced an extension of the nationwide “non-working week” until April 30 after the country registered a sharp increase in coronavirus cases on Thursday. Speaking in a televised address, he added that he would delegate the decisionmaking power on anti-coronavirus measures to regional authorities given the regional differences in infection rates.

- Putin has signed legislation imposing severe punishment — including up to five years in prison — for people convicted of spreading false information about the coronavirus. The legislation also imposes punishments for people breaking coronavirus quarantine rules, including up to seven years in prison.

— Putin has asked health experts whether it would be possible to end Russia's paid "non-working" period sooner than planned. He originally declared a "non-working" week from March 28 to April 5, then extended the period until April 30. During the meeting, he added that the peak of the coronavirus epidemic in Russia hasn't passed yet.

— Russia's national carrier Aeroflot has requested permission to operate a flight from Moscow to New York today to return U.S. nationals stuck in Russia due to its closed border and suspension of international flights, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said. Aeroflot's last Moscow-New York flight was abruptly canceled on April 3 after the plane had already started taxiing to the runway.

— Russia has conducted more than 795,000 coronavirus tests so far, the federal consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said.