MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation on Wednesday to allow the government to declare a state of national emergency in an effort to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Only the president can declare a state of emergency after he has formally received the support of the upper house of parliament, but lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation granting the cabinet of ministers the same emergency powers.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by David Goodman)