MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Moscow may toughen some of the restrictive measures introduced to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, however, it will be done in a targeted manner, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Rossiya-24 channel on Thursday.
"It is true, there is always a possibility that the measures may be toughened. However, this decision must be justified. Before the introduction of permits, we tackled it head on, but now we can do it in a targeted manner," Sobyanin said.
He noted that digital permits make it easier for Moscow officials to detect those violating the self-isolation regime in a prompt manner.
"I think that the permit system is the most fair and effective. Since we introduced the permits, the number of people moving around the city has lowered by 500,000-800,000," the mayor said.
All Moscow residents regardless of their age must self-isolate at home until May 1. These measures were introduced to restrict people’s movements within the city. Starting April 15, a digital permit is required to move around Moscow and the Moscow Region.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials 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 every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 2,600,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 184,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 723,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.
To date, a total of 62,773 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 4,891 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 555 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.