Russian regions extend workplace shutdown, Moscow to lift curbs

Specialists wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) spray disinfectant while sanitizing the Kazansky railway station amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow, Russia November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Four Russian regions said on Wednesday they would extend a one-week workplace shutdown that took effect nationwide on Oct. 30 in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases, as the death toll from the country's epidemic hit a record high.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the shutdown last month, giving regional authorities the option of extending it.