Moscow has threatened to imprison people for up to five years who do not quarantine themselves for at least two weeks after traveling back from countries hardest hit by the coronavirus.

The city government announced its “high alert regime” on Thursday and implemented extra regulations in an effort to combat the spread of the disease in the Russian capital, according to Reuters. Moscow said people traveling from China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea, Spain, and other countries with “unfavorable” signs of the illness must quarantine themselves.

Russian authorities will monitor compliance with the new law through a system of closed-circuit cameras. The Moscow city hall added in a fact sheet that people may break quarantine under certain circumstances, such as to walk a dog, but only when there are minimal others out, and those leaving quarantine must wear a face mask.

Russia has reported 15 cases of the coronavirus, a virus that broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. China is currently the worst-hit country with over 80,000 cases, while South Korea clocks in with over 7,000. The United States currently has 213 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization.

Italy’s government on Sunday shut down the country’s northern region, restricting the movement of nearly a quarter of Italian citizens. The nation took the extraordinary step to contain the disease after reporting more than 5,800 cases, including 233 fatalities.

Source: Washington Examiner