Russia shuts borders to combat outbreak

The Russian government is to temporarily close all border crossings starting from Monday, after the number of novel coronavirus infections increased sharply last week.

According to the order posted on the government website on Saturday, all border crossings-automobile, railway, pedestrian, river-all checkpoints on state borders, as well as the land section of the Russian-Belarusian state border, will be shut down.

Health officials on Sunday reported 270 new cases overnight, taking the total to 1,543, with four deaths attributed to the illness.

More than 182,000 people remain under medical supervision across Russia.

The order followed increasingly harsh restrictions on movement around the country in the past two weeks, as Russia has grounded all international flights and declared the whole of next week a nonworking one, an order that does not apply to workers in key businesses such as pharmacies and supermarkets.

Moscow, Russia's worst-affected region with 1,014 confirmed cases, shut all cafes, restaurants, gyms and shops, except those selling food and medicine, until next Sunday.

The city government recommended everyone remain at home to reduce contagion.

Sergei Sobyanin, the capital's mayor and the head of the State Council task group for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19, urged residents to stay at home during the extended holiday that was announced by President Vladimir Putin.

In a blog addressed to Moscow's residents on Saturday, Sobyanin said the weeklong holiday should not be treated lightly.

His comments came as live television images from a report by the Moscow24 TV channel showed people in the capital running in a park, and having a barbecue near a river.

"This is not an extra holiday, but a key measure in fighting the spread of the coronavirus," the mayor wrote.

"The lives of people depend on each of us, literally," Sobyanin said. "Please stay home."

Separately, the Kremlin expressed its concern about some Russians planning to travel to the country's vacation spots or visit relatives, taking advantage of reduced airfares offered by the national airline Aeroflot.

Therefore, the government is considering a temporary halt of domestic flights and trains, Interfax reported, citing an unidentified Kremlin official.

Chechnya Republic in Russia's North Caucasus ordered the closure of the region's administrative borders on Saturday night and said "no one will be allowed in and out, except for medical workers and food industry employees".