Mikhail Mishustin / REUTERS
First Deputy Prime Minister Belousov will act as acting PM.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has announced he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
"I have found out that the coronavirus tests I had done returned with a positive result," the Russian news agency TASS quoted Mishustin as telling Putin during a televised video conference.
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Mishustin proposed his first deputy, Andrey Belousov, as a candidate for the acting head of government for the period of his illness.
"The government will continue to work as usual; I plan to be in active contact by phone and video for all major issues. I propose the candidacy of [First Deputy Prime Minister] Andrey Removich Belousov as acting [PM]," he concluded.
There were more than 106,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Russia as of April 30.
The death toll was 1,073 patients.