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Coronavirus pandemic

COVID-19 rates will depend on how Russia gets through festive period, official warns

The situation is not unequivocally stable yet, said Anna Popova, the head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare

© Kirill Kukhmar/TASS

MOSCOW, December 31. /TASS/. The COVID-19 situation in Russia is not unequivocally stable yet, so much will depend on the behavior during the New Year holiday period, Anna Popova, the head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, said on Wednesday.

"The situation is not unequivocally stable yet. Therefore, our behavior during this holiday season will affect how we will be living on until the end of the winter. That’s for sure," she said in a televised interview with Rossiya’1 channel.

Popova advised against having large dinner parties, but called on Russians to go for outdoor activities and to do sport.

According to the latest statistics, more than 82 million people have been infected with coronavirus worldwide and more than 1.8 million deaths have been reported.

To date, 3,131,550 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 2,525,418 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 56,426 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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