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Mass gatherings of over 5,000 people to be banned in Moscow till April 10

According to the mayor, the ban will be applicable to sports events, including ice hockey and football matches

MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Moscow’s Mayor said on Tuesday he declared a ban on mass gatherings of more than 5,000 people in the capital city till April 10. The ban is seen as a measure to prevent possible spread of the novel coronavirus-associated infections.

"Today, I signed a decree banning mass gatherings of more than 5,000 people in Moscow," he wrote on his blog. "Regrettably, we will have to cancel the Crimean Spring festival, including celebrations of the anniversary of Crimea’s unification with Russia that were originally planned to take place on Tverskaya Street on March 15."

According to the mayor, the ban will be applicable to sports events, including ice hockey and football matches.

"The coronavirus situation is gradually worsening. We keep an eye on the developments in Italy, Germany and our other European neighbors. Bearing this in mind, additional restrictive measures are needed to protect people’s health," he stated.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 11 million, in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple foci.

Cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in 115 countries and territories, including Russia. The most serious coronavirus situation is reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy.

According to the latest update, the number of confirmed cases of the disease in China has exceeded 80,760, with more than 3,130 people killed by this coronavirus. More than 60,110 have recovered. The number of coronavirus patients globally exceeds 110,000. Slightly more than 4,260 have died.