Coronavirus: Putin eases Russian lockdown as cases rise
bbc.com International News 1 minute read
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that from Tuesday the nationwide coronavirus lockdown will be eased and businesses will go back to work.
He said the country's "non-working period" imposed to curb the virus had lasted six weeks.
The easing of restrictions will affect all sectors of the economy, Mr Putin said, but some regions may keep tighter controls if necessary.
Russia now has the third-highest number of confirmed infections worldwide.
In the last 24 hours it reported a record daily rise of 11,656 cases, bringing the official total to 221,344.
That means Russia now has more confirmed cases than both Italy and the UK. Only Spain and the US have reported more infections.
According to official figures, 2,009 people in Russia have died from the virus. But some question the low figure, and believe the tally is far higher.