Russia Records 40,096 New COVID-19 Cases

New Delhi: Russia reported a record 40,096 new COVID-19 cases and 1,159 deaths in the past 24 hours. Moscow shut down non-essential services for 11 days to combat the surge in infections.

Retail outlets, restaurants, and sporting and entertainment venues have been closed, along with schools and kindergartens. Only shops selling food, medicine and other essentials are allowed to remain open.

Russia has struggled with low vaccination rates despite developing several of its own jabs. As of Thursday, only 32 per cent of Russia’s population had been fully vaccinated.

This week, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, China has announced lockdown in Lanzhou, a northwestern city of four million, AFP reported.

The residents have been told not to leave home except in emergencies. “All types of residential communities are to implement closed management,” said the local government in a statement.

On October 21, hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools closed and mass testing was ramped up in China following a new COVID outbreak linked to a group of tourists.