The government and the authorities of the Russian capital, Moscow, said that all scheduled and charter flights to and from the country will be suspended from tomorrow due to the Corona virus crisis and all shops in Moscow except pharmacies and food stores will be closed from the beginning of next week.
The authorities announced these measures after Russia recorded the largest increase in one day in the cases of Corona today, bringing the official toll to 840 cases. Russia recorded three deaths.
The number is still much lower than that of many European countries, but the mayor of Moscow told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the true size of the crisis in the capital far exceeded official figures.
Today, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that all shops and shopping malls except food stores and pharmacies will be closed from March 28 to April 5.
He added in a statement that restaurants, cafes and bars will also be closed.
A local government decree stated that the same procedure would apply in the Moscow region surrounding the capital.
The government said on its website that Russian flights would be allowed to travel to other countries under flight restrictions to return Russian citizens or if they had a permit under a special decision from the government.