Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a national mask mandate on Tuesday as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Russia and around the world, CBS News reports.
The order, which goes into effect on Wednesday, mandates that anyone in a crowded public space, including parking lots and elevators, will be required to wear a mask at all times. The full order is available on the website for the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, also known as Rospotrebnadzor.
All recreational or entertainment activities, such as bars and restaurants, must close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., and may add further restrictions on public transportation, stores and theaters, where everyone must wear a mask.
Russia saw a spike in coronavirus cases and deaths recently, reporting almost 9,000 new cases last Thursday and 174 fatalities in just 24 hours. In total, the country has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, having reported over 1,520,000 positive cases and more than 26,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
"Regarding the possibility of severe, total, restrictive measures, we aren't planning to do this. The government doesn't have any such plans," Putin said last week in a televised statement.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters last week that the coronavirus “situation is under control. It is not easy, it is tense, but it is under control.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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