Russia reports 7,099 new coronavirus cases, highest single-day toll

Russia reported 7,099 new cases of coronavirus on April 30 in the biggest single-day jump, taking the overall cases in the country to more than 106,000. According to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters, the death toll due to the infectious disease has reached 1,073 and the total number of cases, including the recovered ones, stands at 106,498.

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended the ongoing lockdown across the country until mid-May to contain the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases. Putin has declared May 6 to May 8, 2020, as non-working days with full pay, and also instructed the top officials to extend the COVID-19 measures until May 11 for the safety of the population.

On April 29, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that it is not possible to give an exact date as to when the COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted in the country. While chairing a meet of the government’s coordinating council via a video link for combating the spread of coronavirus, the Russian leader that it can also not predict the date for reopening of borders among lifting of other restrictions.

Some exceptions

Earlier, Kremlin had imposed a travel ban barring entry of foreigners until April 30 to check the spread of coronavirus. Mikhail said that he had signed a government decree extending the travel ban for foreigners but didn’t provide any details. However, he added that some exceptions would be granted to specialists who maintain facilities manufacturing essential equipment to fight coronavirus.

Read: Russian PM Says 'impossible To Give Exact Date' For Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions

According to the latest report, over 3.2 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 228,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe. The United States, Italy, Spain and France are the worst-hit countries due to the pandemic with around 62 per cent of death toll reported from these four countries alone. 

Read: Putin Extends Lockdown In Russia Until Mid-May

The numbers get more sombre for the US as it has reported over a million cases, one-third of the worldwide cases, and more than 61,000 deaths due to the infectious disease. Within the United States, New York has reported almost one-third of the nationwide coronavirus cases and almost one-tenth of the worldwide cases.

Read: At BRICS Meet, Russia Lauds India For Repatriating Citizens & Agreeing To Supply Medicines

Read: Japan Extends Entry Ban To 14 More Countries Including Russia, Saudi Arabia