Putin signs law granting Russian cabinet powers to declare state of emergency

A man wearing a protective mask is seen in Moscow, Russia, on March 27, 2020. (Photo by Evgeny Sinitsyn/Xinhua)

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Wednesday into law a bill granting the cabinet additional powers, including declaring a state of emergency for the entire country.

The law published on the official legal information portal is aimed at dealing with COVID-19.

The president also signed other bills into laws, increasing the liabilities for the breaches of sanitary-epidemiological rules and quarantine.

Russia has registered a total of 2,777 cases of COVID-19 in 75 regions of the country as of Wednesday.