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More than 5.3 million people screened in Russia due to coronavirus, reports watchdog

Tough and strict control on border remains an important element for protecting the Russian population, ic, head of Russia’s consumer watchdog Anna Popova stressed

MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. More than 5.333 million people have currently gone through medical screening in Russia during the effect of sanitary quarantine imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic, head of Russia’s consumer watchdog Anna Popova told reporters on Wednesday.

"The first barrier we set up and which still works is the sanitary quarantine control at checkpoints. Currently, 5,333,242 people have been screened and we are continuing this work," she said.

Popova added that the tough and strict control on border remains an important element for protecting the Russian population.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in more than 160 countries, including Russia

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. To date, more than 850,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 42,000 deaths have been reported.

So far, a total of 2,777 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 190 patients having recovered from the illness. The country’s latest data indicates 24 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public informed about the coronavirus situation.