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Coronavirus pandemic

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.

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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.

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