Putin orders daily coronavirus projections as Russia's tally nears 37,000

A traffic police officer wearing a protective mask uses a mobile device while checking a pass to travel, at a checkpoint set up after Moscow authorities tightened up measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Moscow, Russia April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to provide daily forecasts of the spread of the novel coronavirus as Russia recorded almost 5,000 new cases in a single day.

Coronavirus infections in Russia began rising sharply in April after reporting far fewer infections than many western European countries in the outbreak's early stages.