MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Russia has been managing to deter the spread of the novel coronavirus infection and prevent an exponential growth in the infection cases, Anna Popova, chief of Russia’s sanitary watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Sunday.

"So far, we have been managing to cope with that. We are managing not to plunge into the exponential growth," she said in an interview with the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.

According to Popova, the self-isolation regime is helping to control the coronavirus situation. "As has been said, we are at war today. Indeed, we are at war on this virus agent, for health. Today, people are doing it as they should. And if nothing unexpected happens, I am sure this period will not be long," she said.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed to extend the national week off until May 1. He noted however that the anti-coronavirus measures could be lifted earlier if the situation improved. He also delegated decisions on the anti-coronavirus measures to regional authorities, saying than not all of the Russian regions needed too tough restrictions. He called for considering any bans from the point of view of economic expedience.

As of April 5, a total of 5,389 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia. As many as 355 patients have recovered. According to data as of 13:00 Moscow time, fourty-five patients died. Moscow accounts for the majority of cases (3,893). The Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public informed about the coronavirus situation.