Rise in COVID-19 cases | The mayor of Moscow decrees a week of confinement

(Moscow) The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, on Saturday declared a nonworking week to stem the spread of coronavirus in the Russian capital, in the face of a drastic increase in cases of contamination.

« This last week, the situation with the spread of the coronavirus has deteriorated markedly, the number of new infections having reached the peaks of last year, » Sobianin said in a statement.

Moscow recorded 6,701 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, a record for the Russian capital since last December.

« We cannot not react to this situation », underlined Mr. Sobianine.

« To stop the rise in incidence and preserve people’s lives, I signed a decree » providing for « a week off from June 12 to 20, » he said.

The mayor of Moscow also ordered the closure of children’s playgrounds in shopping malls and parks until June 20.

He also called on employers to favor the telework scheme for employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and forbid restaurants in the capital to serve customers between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Russia recorded 13,510 new cases of coronavirus and 399 deaths on Saturday, with the total number of cases in the country reaching 5,193,964, including 126,073 deaths.