A remote working period for businesses in Moscow will be extended until Nov. 29, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on his website on Wednesday, and online learning for secondary school students will continue until Nov. 8.

"There is no need to introduce new restrictions today," said Sobyanin. "But at the same time, it is premature to soften existing restrictions, as they could lead to detabilisation of the situation."

Russia on Wednesday said it would send army medics to a region in the Urals hit by a surge in COVID-19 cases, after doctors there made a public plea to President Vladimir Putin for help.