MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Russia’s coronavirus transmission rate dropped to 0.89 on Tuesday from 0.9 the day before, according to a TASS analysis based on data from the anti-coronavirus crisis center. Moscow’s transmission rate fell from 0.73 to 0.72.

Russia’s average coronavirus transmission rate remains below 1 for the sixth day in a row, and Moscow’s rate remains below the 0.8 level, which, according to the national consumer watchdog, makes it possible to move on to the second phase of easing coronavirus restrictions.

Other regions with a large number of coronavirus patients and the coronavirus transmission rate below 1 include the Moscow region (0.94), the Nizhny Novgorod region (0.9), Dagestan (0.86), the Murmansk region (0.99), the Krasnodar region (0.96) and the Tula region (0.98).

The coronavirus transmission rate indicates the average number of people one sick person can infect. According to the consumer watchdog, when the rate is equal to or below 1, a region can start to ease restrictions, provided there are enough vacant hospital beds. Once the rate drops below 0.8, a region can enter the second phase of reopening, and when the rate falls below 0.5, the third phase can begin.

Coronavirus situation

To date, a total of 299,941 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 76,130 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 2,837 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.