Russia has reported 8,595 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the number of infections nationwide to 485,253.
The authorities said that 171 people had died from the virus in the last 24 hours, pushing the reported total death toll to 6,142.
Moscow has lifted a strict anti-coronavirus lockdown after more than two months of restrictions with traffic jams returning to the city's streets.
The easing of restrictions was announced yesterday and comes as the Kremlin is gearing up for a crucial 1 July vote that could extend President Vladimir Putin's grip on power until 2036.
He also wants to stage a major World War II military parade which was postponed because of the epidemic and rescheduled for 24 June.
Some critics have said that Moscow is lifting the lockdown prematurely.
Nevertheless, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced yesterday that the capital's general lockdown and pass system was ending today, allowing residents to move freely for the first time since late March.
Officials say Russia's high number of cases is the result of a huge testing campaign, with more than 13 million tests carried out so far, and point to Russia's relatively low mortality rate as evidence it is safe to ease lockdowns.
Critics have accused authorities of under-reporting deaths and say officials are rushing to lift restrictions for political reasons.
Moscow, Europe's most populous city with more than 12 million people, had been under lockdown since 30 March.
Some measures have been gradually lifted over the last few weeks, with non-food retail shops permitted to reopen and residents allowed to go for walks according to a fixed schedule.
Mr Sobyanin said that hairdressers, beauty salons and vets would also be allowed to reopen. Restaurants and cafes will open in two stages beginning June 16.
Researchers say 145,000 could die of Covid-19 in US by August
Meanwhile, researchers in the US have estimated that over 145,000 people could die of Covid-19 by August, raising their forecast by more than 5,000 fatalities in a matter of days.
On Friday, the widely cited Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projected 140,496 deaths by August from Covid-19.
The university has now raised that figure to 145,728.
The new estimate came on the same day that Texas reported its highest number of hospitalisations so far in the pandemic and 22 US states showed at least a small rise in the number of new confirmed cases, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Among the states with the sharpest increases were Michigan and Arizona, according to Johns Hopkins, while Virginia, Rhode Island and Nebraska showed the greatest decreases.
Overall, 450 coronavirus deaths were recorded yesterday, according to the latest real-time tally reported by Johns Hopkins University - the lowest total in about two months.
It remains to be seen if the low mark will hold in the coming days, as the data compiled by the Baltimore-based school tends to dip as the weekend ends because of how numbers are reported by local health authorities.
Also, infectious disease experts have said that large street protests held in major US cities after the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody, could touch off a new outbreak of the disease.
A total of more than 1.9 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the US, according to a Reuters tally, which has confirmed 110,000 deaths.
Cinemas can reopen in California as early as Friday if they receive approval from local officials, limit attendance and impose other safeguards to prevent the spread of the virus, the state's health department has said.
To welcome back guests, cinemas must cap attendance at 25% of normal capacity, or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower, according to California Department of Public Health guidelines.
Among other precautions, ticket holders must be told to stay six feet apart and to wear masks except when eating or drinking.
Mexico reports nearly 3,000 new cases in a day
The Mexican government has reported 2,999 new coronavirus cases yesterday, bringing total confirmed infections to 120,102, according to data from the health ministry.
The country's official coronavirus death toll rose to 14,053, up from 13,699 on Sunday.
The government has said the actual number of infections and deaths caused by Covid-19 is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Australian state lets sports fans back in stadiums
As Australia moves ahead with relaxing a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a state government gave the all clear for more than 2,000 fans to attend an Australian Rules Football game at a stadium in Adelaide this weekend.
Professional sport was allowed to resume in Australia last month after a two-month hiatus, but it will become one of the first nations to admit spectators to stadiums as lockdowns begin to be relaxed in many countries.
Australia has suffered at least 102 Covid-19 deaths and about 7,200 infections, but it has not reported a death for more than a week, and new cases have dwindled to less than 20 daily.
The government has pledged to remove the bulk of social distancing restrictions by the end of July, though some states are moving slower than others.
