Russia's coronavirus cases soar to second-highest in the world

Russia is seeing the highest amount of COVID-19 in the world following the U.S. after reporting at least 10,000 daily infections for 10 days in a row.

What are the details?

The country has just begun easing lockdown efforts this week, but infections have hit 232,243, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

Monday saw its highest increase across the nation, with more than 11,000 infections reported in a single day.

At least 2,116 people in Russia have died because of the virus at the time of this writing.

According to Newsweek, more than half of the country's confirmed cases and deaths are in Moscow, which has 121,301 cases and 1,179 deaths. Newsweek cited figures published on the Moscow mayor's website.

"These are necessary measures to automate the permit control process and prevent an exponential growth of COVID-19 cases. Do not go out unless absolutely necessary!" the mayor's office states.

Rospotrebnadzor, the country's federal service for surveillance on consumer rights protection and human well-being, reported that the country has carried out approximately 5.6 million tests at the time of this writing.

Moscow residents are required to remain at home, going outside only for certain activities, such as to buy food and medicine. All residents must have a digital permit to be able to travel around Moscow and the Moscow region by public or private transport.

What else?

In a Monday address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country's restrictions would need to be addressed individually and allowed to process gradually.

"All the (coronavirus-related) measures we have taken allow us to move to the next step in the fight against the epidemic and start a phased lifting of the lockdown restrictions," Putin said.

"We must not allow a breakdown, a rollback, a new wave of the epidemic and an increase in serious complications," he continued. "Once again, there will be no rapid lifting of the restrictions. It will take considerable time."

The lockdown in Moscow and St. Petersburg is expected to last until May 31 at the very least.