The Russian capital on Thursday started a nonworking period intended to stem coronavirus infections as new daily cases and deaths from Covid-19 surged to all-time highs.

The government coronavirus task force reported 1,159 deaths in 24 hours, the largest daily tally since the pandemic began. The country’s official death toll from the pandemic, by far the highest in Europe, now stands at 235,057.

To slow the spread of the virus, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a nonworking period from October 30 to November 7, when most state organisations and private businesses are to suspend operations. He encouraged the most affected regions to start sooner.