Moscow deserted after shops close to stop coronavirus

MOSCOW: The streets of Moscow were eerily quiet Saturday with shops and restaurants shuttered after new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus came into force.

Officials in the Russian capital this week stopped short of imposing a full lockdown, but ordered elderly residents on Thursday to stay and home and closed all non-essential services for one week from Saturday.

President Vladimir Putin urged all Russians to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus in a rare televised address on Wednesday, saying next week would be a week off from work.