Runners told to observe social distancing in Moscow half-marathon

More than 9,500 runners competing in Moscow's annual half-marathon on Sunday wore masks and gloves in the starting area, had their temperature checked and were told to observe social distancing rules because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21.1-km race had been postponed from May, when the Russian capital was in lockdown because of the new coronavirus.

Participants in a separate 5-km run were also asked to follow social distancing rules, though this can be challenging when racing. Russia reported 5,427 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Sunday, more than 660 of them in Moscow, bringing the nationwide tally to 850,870. The death toll in Russia rose to 14,128.