Moscow on lockdown as nation braces for restrictions

The normally bustling streets of the Russian capital were deserted on Monday as the government ordered a lockdown of Moscow with the country's coronavirus cases topping 1,800.

The Russian capital of 13 million accounts for more than 1,000 of the country's 1,836 coronavirus cases.

The government's headquarters overseeing efforts to fight the outbreak said that Russia's virus cases had risen by more than 300 from the previous day. It said nine people had died.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered a lockdown of th city starting on Monday.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during a cabinet meeting people may leave their homes for medical emergencies, to buy food or if they worked in essential sectors.

He instructed all regional governors to prepare for the introduction of similar lockdown across the country.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.