Russia passes strict fines for quarantine violators

The State Duma, Russia's lower parliament house, hastily passed a package of coronavirus-related measures on Tuesday designed to expand government powers in dealing with the pandemic, including strict punishment for violators of quarantine.

Russia registered 500 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus on Tuesday in the biggest spike since the beginning of the outbreak that brought the country's total to 2,337 cases.

Moscow, the country's capital, has been on lockdown since Monday, with most businesses closed and residents not allowed to leave their apartments except for grocery shopping, buying medicines, taking out trash or walking their dogs.

Similar regimes are in place in more than 30 Russian regions.

Under the new legislation, penalties for breaking an imposed lockdown have increased, despite human rights advocates saying such lockdowns can't be legally enforced until the state of emergency is declared by the president.

The Kremlin has so far said that Moscow authorities have been within their rights to impose a lockdown.

Violators may face up to seven years imprisonment if their behaviour results in the deaths of two or more people.

The State Duma passed laws to strengthen punishments for spreading false information about the virus and gave the Cabinet the power to declare a state of emergency.

The measures were rubber-stamped through all three required readings in one day.