Putin approves paid leave across Russia to curb COVID-19 surge

Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he supports a proposal to introduce paid non-working days across the country from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 to contain a hike in COVID-19 infections and related deaths.

Local authorities can launch the days off earlier or extend them if necessary, Putin told a government meeting.

The proposal was made by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova on Tuesday and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin called it "a necessary measure."

Russia is experiencing its toughest period since the pandemic began, with daily new infections and coronavirus-related deaths repeatedly hitting record highs.

According to the country's official monitoring and response center, Russia confirmed 34,073 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 8,094,825, while the nationwide death toll grew by a record daily increase of 1,028 to 226,353.