Virus infections in Russia hit new record

Coronavirus infections in Russia hit a new record on Thursday, as the country’s authorities reported 28,145 new confirmed cases — the highest daily spike in the pandemic and an increase of 2,800 cases from those registered the previous day.

Russia’s total number of COVID-19 cases – nearly 2.4 million – remains the world’s fourth-highest. The government coronavirus task force has reported 41,607 deaths in the pandemic.

The country has been swept by a rapid resurgence of the outbreak this fall, with numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections and deaths regularly hitting new highs and significantly exceeding those reported in the spring.

The country’s authorities have resisted imposing a second nationwide lockdown or a widespread closure of businesses. Virus-related restrictions vary from region to region but are largely mild.

This week officials in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city and one of the hardest-hit cities in the country, announced additional restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

Local authorities ordered restaurants, cafes and bars to close between Dec 30 and Jan 3, and museums, theaters, concert halls and exhibition spaces to shut down for the duration of the New Year holidays between Dec 30 and Jan 10. Restaurants, cafes and bars have to close by 7 p.m. from Dec 25 to Dec 29 and again from Jan. 4 through Jan 10.