Coronavirus: Russia Now has Second Highest Virus Case in the World
In
the last 24 hours the country has reported 10,899 infections, the tenth
consecutive day that number has been above 10,000.
Among
the infected is President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, local media
report.
He is the
latest high profile official to test positive, after Prime
Minister Mikhail Mishustin caught the illness.
The news
comes the day after President Putin eased the
country's lockdown. Factory and construction workers returned to work on Tuesday,
though Mr Putin gave regions freedom to set restrictions depending on local
circumstances.
Despite the high
number of confirmed cases, Russia's death toll is only 2,116.
Government
officials say the country's mass testing programme is responsible for that low
mortality rate, but many believe the number is in fact far higher.
Meanwhile, authorities
in St Petersburg have put out a fire in an intensive care unit, which killed five
coronavirus patients and forced the evacuation of about 150 people.
Local media reported
on Tuesday that Mr Peskov - the presidential spokesman since 2012 - had tested
positive for the virus and was now in hospital.
"Yes,
I am sick. I am receiving treatment," new agencies quoted him as saying.
Prime Minister Mishustin tested positive for coronavirus two weeks ago.
Since then, culture minister Olga Lyubimova has also been diagnosed with the
virus, as has construction minister Vladimir Yakushev and one of his deputies.
Mr
Peskov told TASS news agency that he last met President Putin in person more
than a month ago. Mr Putin is working remotely from his residence outside the
capital, and the Kremlin says his health is well protected.
The
president announced the end of six weeks of "non-working days" in a
televised address on Monday. Russians began returning to work on Tuesday
morning.
The outbreak is far
from over, the president warned, saying that "danger remains". But
all sectors of the economy should begin to restart, he said - though local
authorities could bring in tougher restrictions if needed to contain the spread
of the virus.
Moscow
is the epicentre of Russia's outbreak, accounting for more than half the
country's cases and more than half its total death toll.
Last
week Mayor Sergei Sobyanin extended the capital's lockdown until 31 May. Though
construction and industrial workers must now return to work in the city,
everyone must wear face masks and gloves in shops and on public transport.
Residents
still cannot leave home unless to shop, work or walk the dog, and must have a
digital permit to travel.
Mr
Sobyanin has previously estimated that the capital may have more than 300,000
infections - about three times its current confirmed tally.
The US now has more
than 1.3 million confirmed cases according to the Johns Hopkins University
coronavirus tracker - almost six times as many as any other country.
The
number of coronavirus-related deaths in the US has now surpassed 81,000.
The UK
has the highest number of deaths in Europe with more than 32,000 but
excess deaths - which include those indirectly caused by virus - top 50,000.
FROM .bbc.com/news/world-europe
No comments