Coronavirus crisis under full control in Russia: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the coronavirus pandemic is under full control in his country, adding that Moscow has all the necessary resources to protect people’s health and support the economy under these circumstances.

"All levels of power are working in an organized, responsible and timely way," Putin said in a video message to congratulate Christians on the Orthodox Easter on Sunday, adding, "The situation is under full control. All of our society is united in front of the common threat."

“All measures on protecting human lives and health, supporting economy require additional and major resources and reserves. We have got them. We are using them diligently and surgically, depending on the particular situation and first of all to help people and those families, which are facing a challenging situation now," he added.

Putin said authorities are working proactively to combat the virus and are carefully analyzing other countries’ experiences.

"We thoroughly analyze the experiences of other countries, [and] actively interact with our foreign friends and colleagues. We understand what is happening, we see the risks, we know what needs to be done in any situation, and we do what is necessary. We work ahead of schedule," he stated.

The Russian president further noted that everything will be fine with God's help.

Separately on Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russia's RIA news agency as saying there was hope that signs might start appearing next week that the number of coronavirus cases, which have risen relentlessly, might begin to plateau.

Russia has so far reported 42,853 confirmed cases of the deadly flu-like pathogen, with an official death toll of 361.

SS