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Coronavirus pandemic

No need to impose lockdown in Russia, expert says

According to the expert, more steps could be taken to ensure mask wearing and more employees could move to telecommuting

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. The current coronavirus situation in Russia does not require strict lockdown measures but certain restrictions may be introduced if the number of daily cases starts to rise, infectious disease doctor Yevgeny Timakov told the Moskva-24 TV channel on Monday.

"The situation needs to become stable, without ups and downs, before any decisions can be made. If the number of new cases starts to rise slowly, partial restrictions will need to be introduced, but no lockdowns," he pointed out.

According to the expert, more steps could be taken to ensure mask wearing and more employees could move to telecommuting. "If we see a rise in infections, it will be a reasonable thing to do," Timakov noted.

More than 141.4 mln coronavirus cases and over three mln fatalities have been reported across the world since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the federal anti-coronavirus crisis center, Russia has so far recorded 4,710,690 coronavirus cases, 4,333,598 recoveries and 105,928 deaths. The Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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