Russia Reports Over 700 New COVID-19 Cases in a Day, Total Reaches 3,548

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a special televised address to the nation on the 25th of last month (local time) in Moscow. In his address, President Putin announced the postponement of the constitutional amendment referendum originally scheduled for April 22 due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the health and safety of the people. He stated that the new date for the referendum will be determined later by experts.

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Russia increased by more than 700 in a single day, bringing the total number of cases to over 3,500.

According to TASS news agency and others, Russia's COVID-19 task force announced on the 2nd (local time) that "771 new confirmed cases were reported in 29 regions, including the capital Moscow, over the past day," and that "the total cumulative number of confirmed cases has risen to 3,548."

In Moscow alone, 595 new confirmed cases were reported, increasing the total number of cases to 2,475.

In the Moscow region near Moscow, 43 new cases were reported, and in the second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, 22 new confirmed cases were recorded.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 also increased by 6, including 3 in Moscow and 1 in the Moscow region, bringing the total to 30.

Russian authorities explained that the sharp increase in confirmed cases is due to a significant expansion in the number of tests conducted.

The task force reported that as of this day, a total of 536,000 people have undergone testing.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated the previous day that Russia's daily COVID-19 testing has increased to 36,000 tests, placing Russia among the top three countries worldwide in terms of testing volume.

However, many people are still visiting countries with widespread COVID-19 outbreaks and returning, or are in mandatory self-quarantine after contact with infected individuals, so the number of confirmed cases is expected to increase significantly in the future.

President Vladimir Putin said the previous day that Russia's COVID-19 situation is worsening, with approximately 3.3 million people currently in facility or self-quarantine.

The continuous return of Russians staying abroad using government-arranged charter flights has also been identified as a cause of the increase in confirmed cases.

The Medical and Biological Agency under the Russian Ministry of Health stated that the COVID-19 outbreak is expected to subside around summer (July to August), but the peak has not yet passed.

Russian authorities continue to strengthen quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

President Putin approved a bill the previous day granting the government the authority to declare a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 situation.

There are also expectations that the Russian government will soon declare a state of emergency to block the spread of the epidemic.