Moscow Mayor Announces 'New Stage' Of Coronavirus Epidemic As Cases Pass 1,000

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2020) The coronavirus epidemic in Moscow has entered a new phase, the mayor of the Russian capital said Sunday, after the number of infection cases in the city topped 1,000.

"The spread of the coronavirus has entered a new stage. More than 1,000 cases have already been recorded in Moscow. No one is safe," Sergei Sobyanin wrote in his blog.

He thanked those staying at home this weekend as Russia prepares for a paid week off work to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

"The majority of Muscovites have heeded the call to stay at home. We are very grateful to them," the mayor said.

Sobyanin said people were largely taking social distancing seriously, with only a "negligible fraction" of the usual numbers venturing into parks on Saturday.

"Saturday... was the first of the nine days that Muscovites are to stay home. It is, of course, too early to make conclusions, but the social distancing mechanism as a whole seems to be working," he wrote.

Almost 15,000 eateries and over 40,000 non-essential stores closed in the city amid the partial shutdown. People over 65 have been asked to stay inside until at least mid-April.

Sobyanin reprimanded the 20 percent of the elderly in Moscow who had traveled far from home, although geolocation data collected by mobile operators showed that two thirds were doing exactly as told.

The operational headquarters to combat COVID-19 said in a statement that the number of those infected in Moscow had increased by 197 to 1,014. Of them, 32 were over 65 years old and 13 were children.