Putin visits hospital as Russia steps up virus response

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned his citizens about the dangers of the new coronavirus, as the country prepares for a potential surge in the number of patients.

Putin addressed the public on Wednesday, telling Russians "Please, don't think 'I won't be affected.' Anyone can be affected, and what's going on now in many countries in Western Europe and across the ocean could be our near future."

His warning came after a visit to a hospital for patients infected with the new virus.

New measures announced to combat the spread of the virus include a nationwide week-long holiday and the closure of non-essential businesses starting on Saturday, and a ban on all international flights starting on Friday.

The number of Russian coronavirus patients has jumped in recent days, with 182 new cases reported on Thursday, bringing the national total to 840.

The new coronavirus has caused a global pandemic that has sickened at least 470,000 and killed 21,000 worldwide, crippled economies and forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people in an effort to stop the virus from spreading further and overwhelming health care systems.