Putin Extends Russia's Non-working Period Due to Coronavirus until May 11

People's mobility was also limited except for urgent purposes, most notably in Moscow, where movement is controlled through an electronic pass system.

Russia, the world's largest country by territory, has been on lockdown since President Vladimir Putin announced the closure of most public spaces in late March.

Yet Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Wednesday extended a ban on entry for foreigners into the country, which was due to expire Thursday, until "the fight against the infection is over and the epidemic situation has improved".

Russia's overall number of coronavirus cases has topped 87,000, while the death toll stands at 867.

Putin himself has self-isolated for several weeks, having come into contact with a senior doctor at a Moscow hospital who later tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Russian Federation recently ramped up testing in the hopes of diagnosing patients at an early stage and has conducted more than 3.49 million tests to date.

The announcement marked the first official acknowledgement of the contagion in Russia's sprawling prison system that holds more than 600,000 inmates. He warned the outbreak's peak was still ahead.

The prison service insisted in Tuesday's statement it has conducted extensive medical checks of prison personnel and inmates and quarantined new arrivals.