Family members hug each other on Sunday as some of them leave Belarus before the closing of the Russian-Belarus border near the village of Krasnaya Gorka, some 470 kilometers west of Moscow. Photo: AFP

Moscow on Monday imposed a lockdown in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin asked regional authorities to make similar preparations. 

The enforcement of the tough new rules, which were suddenly announced by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin late Sunday, coincide with the beginning of a "non-working" week declared by President Vladimir Putin last week.

Europe's largest city announced the strict new isolation measures after many Muscovites refused to heed official recommendations and self-isolate at the weekend and instead went to parks for barbecues. 

On Monday, the streets of Moscow were deserted following the closure of all non-essential shops, including restaurants and cafes, but traffic was still seen on the roads in the city center.

"Many people think we are far away from what's happening in Spain or Italy," Anastasia, a 25-year-old Muscovite told AFP. "But it can happen to us too on the same scale."

"I ask regional heads to work on the introduction of quarantines similar to the one introduced in Moscow," Mishustin said at a government meeting.

In a televised address on Wednesday, Putin announced that Russians would not be required to go to work this week, but would still get paid.

He postponed an upcoming public vote on constitutional reforms that would allow him to stay in power until 2036.

Putin also unveiled a series of measures to support Russian people and boost the country's economy, including breaks on consumer loans and mortgage payments.

Sobyanin on Sunday said that due to new measures in Russia's largest city "unfortunately, many Muscovites will lose their jobs." 

But he also promised that anyone who becomes unemployed as a result of the restrictions would receive 19,500 rubles ($247) per month.

The country has so far reported over 1,800 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths, with more than 1,000 infections in the capital.

The new restrictions apply to all of the city's residents, regardless of age.

Muscovites will only be allowed to leave their homes in case of a medical emergency, to travel to jobs judged essential, and to shop for food or medicines.

People will be allowed to take out trash and walk their dogs within a 100-meter radius of their homes.

The new isolation rules, which will be policed by a vast system of facial-recognition cameras in Moscow, come into force as Russia closes its borders as part of increasingly stringent measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The country closed its borders to foreigners last week and grounded all international flights on Thursday as part of tighter measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Russia.

AFP