The measures introduced across Russia to slow the spread of the new coronavirus infection must not be lifted immediately after the epidemic peak is behind, and this process has to be gradual and will take some time, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.

"The quarantine cannot be lifted immediately after the morbidity peak is behind. Anyway, this procedure will take some time before the situation stabilizes. And we also have to control herd immunity. When we speak simply about reaching some peak and entering the plateau phase, we cannot declare a feast and light firecrackers immediately after that. No. We will have to build a whole system to avoid a new spike in the disease spread," Murashko said in a film titled Dangerous Virus 4 by Nailya Asker-zade shown on the Rossiya-1 television channel on Saturday.