Moscow mayor imposes citywide lockdown

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia's capital Moscow will be put under lockdown from March 30, city's mayor announced on Sunday.

All residents of Moscow will largely be forbidden from leaving their homes and their movement in the city would subject to special permits, Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement.

However, exceptions are made for buying groceries, medicines, walking pets within 100 meters from home and disposing of litter, according to the statement.

A special control system will follow the movement of people, it added.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities on Sunday confirmed 270 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of cases to 1,534.

In a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Russia has banned the entry of foreign nationals, closed air and land traffic.

The authorities are also considering a countrywide travel ban.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, in December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 177 countries and regions, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than 704,095 cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 33,500, and over 148,800 recoveries.