Russian president Vladimir Putin has extended the country’s national lockdown until May 11 and warned citizens that they had still not felt the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a televised speech that marked his most sombre comments on the outbreak so far, Mr Putin said Russia had not yet reached the peak of infections and that “a hard and difficult path lies ahead”.
“Ahead of us is a new stage, perhaps the most intense stage of the fight against the epidemic,” he said. “The risks of getting infected are at the highest level, and the threat, the mortal danger of the virus persists.”
The pandemic has hit Russia economically as lockdowns stymie global and domestic demand alike. Oil prices have collapsed, drastically reducing Moscow’s income from crude exports and forcing it to burn through its financial reserves to fill the hole in its budget.
“Of course, I want the inconvenience to end soon,” said Mr Putin. “But I will repeat: assuming that the threat has supposedly decreased and is now going to bypass us would be careless and even dangerous.”
The stark warning contrasts with some European countries who have moved to gradually ease restrictions and quarantine rules, and came as Russia reported its highest-ever daily increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths from the virus.
In a bid to curb the outbreak, Russia has declared a “national holiday” since late March, which has closed all but essential businesses and barred people from leaving their homes except in special circumstances. Mr Putin said the measures would remain in place until May 11.
Russia reported far fewer cases than other major European countries in the early weeks of the pandemic, but a surge in infections has seen it reach almost 95,000 cases, overtaking Iran and China to become the world’s eighth-most affected country.
The spread of the virus outside of Moscow to provincial cities with fewer medical resources than the capital is a major worry for the Kremlin. Mr Putin said on Tuesday that some regions would remain under lockdown longer than others.
“When the peak of the epidemic in the whole country is overcome, the situation may remain tense in certain regions,” he said. “The threat will not disappear everywhere immediately, which means that talking about some kind of simultaneous lifting of restrictions is impossible.”
Mr Putin has sought to shift the blame for restrictive measures that have hurt businesses and resulted in lay-offs on to his government and regional administrators. On Tuesday he again ordered them to devise a programme for the eventual lifting of quarantine measures, and a plan to stimulate the economy afterwards.
Analysts have forecast that the Russian economy will contract by around 5 per cent this year.
“We will need utmost concentration, discipline and mobilisation. We must ensure that the wave of the epidemic finally subsides, which will enable us to carefully remove the restrictions step by step and return to the normal rhythm of life,” the president said.
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April 28, 2020 at 11:29PM
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Putin extends Russia coronavirus lockdown and warns worst to come - Financial Times
"come" - Google News
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