The Moscow city government has ordered elderly people to stay home for four months and told businesses to have at least 30 per cent of staff work from home amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths in Russia, reports Reuters.

The new rules take effect from October 25, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russia reported 1,015 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest single-day toll since the start of the pandemic, as well as 33,740 new infections.