Putin says no plans for lockdown despite record cases

President Vladimir Putin

MOSCOW (AFP): President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday there were no plans to introduce a nationwide lockdown in Russia as the country set a record for new coronavirus infections and fatalities.

“We clearly understand how to act and therefore we are not planning to introduce sweeping restrictive measures, to launch a so-called nationwide lockdown, when the economy and business operations practically stop,” he told an investment forum.

Earlier Thursday, the government announced an aid package worth 11 billion roubles ($138.6 million) for the country’s regions which have been overwhelmed by a rapid increase in cases.

The support was announced amid reports of ambulance queues at hospitals, shortages of medical supplies and patients bringing their own beds to hospital.

At a meeting with Putin on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova described the situation in 16 regions as “critical,” saying that over 90% of hospital beds for coronavirus patients were occupied.

Russia on Thursday set a record for new coronavirus cases and deaths, with health officials reporting 17,717 new infections and 366 fatalities.

Russia has the fourth-highest caseload in the world, with a total of 1,581,693 recorded cases and 27,301 deaths.