Russia concerned as cases increase
The number of confirmed novel coronavirus infections in Russia reached 87,147 on Monday, raising concerns about the pandemic situation in the country, as the current anti-coronavirus measures expire by the end of the month.
As of Monday, Russia’s cases had grown by 6,198 over the past day, with 794 deaths. The number of confirmed cases in Russia is the ninthhighest in the world.
In the northwestern Russian Murmansk region, over 790 workers from a construction project site were confirmed to be infected, including an increase of 105 over the latest 24-hour period.
Now the construction site is under 24/7 surveillance by security personnel, police and the military. And CCTVs have been placed along the perimeter while traffic in and out of the site is restricted.
The authorities feared the whole Russia may be affected by the Murmansk coronavirus cases, as a total of 475 employees from the project had left for other regions by flights in the past week.
Military infections
Among the COVID-19 cases, nearly 900 were confirmed in Russian army, Russian Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, a total of 314 army servicemen are undergoing treatment at the ministry’s hospital, while others are being treated at medical establishments at the units, public heath institutions, and are under home quarantine, respectively.
Meanwhile, Russian media reported earlier that military units were assembling at a base near Moscow to prepare for the May 9 Victory parade in the Red Square, which was postponed due to the pandemic.
Separately, the defense ministry did not reveal whether the infected military servicemen came from one unit or barracks all over the country.
In a related development, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to deliver a statement on the coronavirus situation this week, as well as new national measures to prevent the epidemic from spreading.
The current measures, which were announced by Putin on April 2, give the Russian people a paid national holiday, and will expire at the end of the month.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Putin would review the latest coronavirus situation in the country.
Peskov said Russia was expected to reach a plateau in coronavirus cases by mid-May, and in June the situation will be better.
“The new stages (of the measures) would be issued,” Peskov said, adding that Russia would ease its anticoronavirus measures step by step.
So far, city governments and local authorities in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and other regions and republics, have maintained various selfquarantine policies or closed regional borders amid the outbreak.