Russia Sets New Record For Covid Cases, Deaths: Moscow Shuts Down Non-Essential Services

The retail outlets, restaurants, sporting and entertainment venues besides schools and kindergartens have been closed.

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New Delhi: With Russia reporting a record number of coronavirus deaths and cases on Thursday, Moscow shut down non-essential services for 11 days to combat the surge in infections.

The concerned authorities have shut down all non-essential services in Moscow from Thursday until November 7.

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The retail outlets, restaurants, sporting and entertainment venues besides schools and kindergartens have been closed.

The shops selling food, medicine and other essentials have only been allowed to remain open.

The roads in Moscow on Thursday morning were slightly less congested than usual, but the city's sprawling Metro network was as busy as ever, with many passengers not wearing masks, AFP reported.

According to government figures, 1,159 people died from Covid in the past 24 hours, while another 40,096 people have been infected.

In a bid to reverse rising infections, Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier last week ordered a nationwide paid holiday between October 30 and November 7.

Russia, the nation hardest-hit in Europe by the coronavirus pandemic, has struggled with low vaccination rates despite developing several of its own jabs.

Amid the rising cases of infections, the Russian government has been pinning its hopes on homegrown vaccines like the Sputnik V jab.