Putin: Russia may use military resources to fight COVID-19

Russia may resort to its military resources in the fight against COVID-19 if the situation in the country continues to worsen, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.

“The Defense Ministry is working, I repeat, quite efficiently, but it is using only a fraction of what it has, and it is involved abroad, while the main resources are still in reserve,” Putin said at a meeting with senior government officials involved in the battle against COVID-19.

The situation in Russia is worsening, with a rising number of infections, he said.

Russia has registered a total of 18,328 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, with the number of infected rising by a new daily record of 2,558, and the death toll reaching 148.

Russia has sent medical military specialists, testing devices and protection gear to Italy and Serbia to help these countries combat the disease.

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Putin also said that

the government has allocated additional funds to the Defense Ministry to build new infectious disease hospitals in various regions across the country, which could be used to treat civilians.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that the ministry had received 8.8 billion rubles (around 120 million U.S. dollars) from the state budget to build 16 multifunctional medical centers, which will be commissioned between April 20 and May 15.

1,470 people having recovered so far, including 179 in the last 24 hours, Russia’s coronavirus response center said in a statement.

Moscow, the worst hit part of the country, confirmed 1,355 new cases in the last 24 hours, with the total number of infected rising to 11,513.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin extended paid leave for all residents until the end of April. Nearly all regions have introduced mandatory self-isolation for all residents.

Some regions have slightly eased isolation rules in recent days, with the Moscow region on Monday introducing passes for people wishing to go out for any other reason than walking their dog or visiting the nearest supermarket or pharmacy.

Source: Xinhua