Putin announces one month of quarantine in Russia

On Thursday, April 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin, for the second time in eight days, addressed the nation in connection with the epidemic of coronavirus. At the moment, there are 3,548 cases of coronavirus in 76 regions of the country; the virus has claimed the lives of 30 people. In the course of the address, the president announced all of April a non-working month across Russia. The decision aims to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. The peak of the epidemic in the world has not been passed yet, and Russia is not an exception, Putin said, adding that the number of non-working days could be changed, depending on the situation. The first priority for the authorities is to preserve jobs and salaries for the people, the president said. Putin also announced the need to introduce tougher measures in Russian regions. Local governments will be provided with additional powers as per the need to introduce tough restrictions for the struggle with coronavirus. He also ordered regional authorities to restrict the movement of individuals and vehicles, except transportation between regions.