Moscow starts non-working period as Covid infections and deaths soar

Restaurants and cafes will only provide service for takeout or delivery (Pavel Golovkin/AP)

The Russian capital has started a non-working period intended to stem coronavirus infections as new daily cases and deaths from Covid-19 surged to all-time highs.

The government coronavirus task force reported 1,159 deaths in 24 hours, the largest daily tally since the pandemic began. The country’s official death toll from the pandemic, by far the highest in Europe, now stands at 235,057.