Russia registered its highest-ever number of new coronavirus infections on Friday after officials warned that tight restrictions could be set back in place if people continued to flout anti-virus rules, AFP reports.

Restaurants and bars in Moscow were bustling and many residents were ignoring orders to wear masks in public as nationwide infections surged in September, but officials stopped short of imposing new sweeping measures to slow the spread of the virus.

European leaders across the continent are scambling to amend virus regulations against the backdrop of a surge in new cases, and even Germany which was praised for its early handling of the pandemic has suffered a large increase in new infections.

But officials in Russia, which has the world's fourth-highest caseload behind the United States, India and Brazil, have so far dismissed the idea there is a second wave of infections or any need for a new lockdown.