MOSCOW - Russia has registered a total of 2,337 cases of Covid-19 in 73 regions of the country as of Tuesday, including a daily record of 500 new cases in the last 24 hours, official data showed.
The death toll rose to 17 after eight patients in four regions died of the disease, Russia's coronavirus response center said in a statement.
So far, 121 people have recovered, including 55 in the last 24 hours, it said.
Moscow remains the worst hit part of the country, with 387 new cases confirmed in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 1,613 in the Russian capital.
An empty Red square in Moscow, Russia. The Russian capital has woken up to a lockdown obliging most people in the city of 13 million to stay home. The government ordered other regions of the vast country to quickly prepare for the same as Moscow, to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Photo by: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin
To contain the spread of the coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin declared a week of paid leave for all citizens beginning on March 30.
As of Tuesday morning, 32 of Russia's 85 regions have introduced mandatory self-isolation for all residents, and new regions are joining, Russian media reported.
Also on Tuesday, the Russian Justice Ministry proposed a suspension on registering marriages and divorces until at least June 1.
In cases where it is not possible to change the date, the registration should be carried out only in the presence of the new couple without any guests, it said in a statement.