Moscow, May 7 (IANS): Anna Popova, head of Russia's consumer rights and human well-being watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, proposed to lift COVID-19 restrictions in three stages.

Popova unveiled her plan at an online conference with President Vladimir Putin and other officials on the implementation of measures to support the economy and social sphere, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

At the first stage, people may be allowed to engage in outdoor sports and small businesses may be reopened, she said.

At the second stage, they will be allowed to walk on the streets with family members, while the work of educational institutions will be resumed.

At the third stage, parks and squares will open to the public if people observe social distancing, while trade and service enterprises, hotels and restaurants will resume operations.

But if the epidemiological situation worsens, restrictive measures may be re-imposed, she said.

She did not say when the easing of restrictions, imposed in Russia from March 30 to May 11, might begin.

The COVID-19 situation in Russia's regions develops unequally, so in some of them it is permissible to tighten the restrictions, while in some others it is possible to plan their mitigation, Putin said at the conference.

Official data showed on Wednesday that Russia has tallied a total of 165,929 COVID-19 cases, and single-day increases have been over 10,000 for four consecutive days.