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Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered this Monday the end of six weeks of
paid unemployment in Russia and opened the way to cautious misconduct, despite the fact that the country continues to register more than 10,000 daily coronavirus cases.
(Read also: Putin gives a month-long vacation to the whole country, with salary included).
With more than 220,000 confirmed infections, of them 11,656 announced on Monday, Russia is the 4th country with the most patients after the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The case-fatality rate in Russia is, however, very low compared to these countries, with 2,009 deaths according to official data, although many fear that it is undervalued. Putin gave the signal, in a televised government meeting, of a progressive and very “conscientious” exit from the restrictions.
This Tuesday ends the period of paid unemployment in force since the end of March. The main opponent of the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, reacted on Twitter, ironic with the “wisdom” of the president who “cancels national measures … on the day when a record of new infections is registered.”
(It may interest you: Russia, new actor in covid-19 infections)
Putin’s announcement does not mean the end of everyone’s confinement in Russia due to the difference between regions. Moscow, the main epidemic focus with more than 115,000 cases among its 12 million inhabitants, will remain confined until at least May 31.
Only industry and construction will be able to return to work starting Tuesday. Each region, based on the opinion of the scientists, will decide what restrictions will be lifted and when. “Our country is large, epidemiological situations differ … we cannot use the same model for everyone,” Putin said. The ban on large public events and the exits of people over 65 years of age remain in force throughout the country.
(Also read: Doctor who was with Putin tested positive for coronavirus)
The country has not exceeded the number of deaths from coronaviruses in the United Kingdom and Italy, which report more than 30,000 deaths compared to 2,000 in Russia.
Relaunch the economy
Putin highlighted the need to relaunch the economic machinery that has suffered from confinement, but also from the collapse of oil prices and ordered the reopening of companies in basic sectors, such as construction, industry, agriculture, telecommunications , energy and the extraction of raw materials.
(Also read: Johnson, criticized for his unconfinement plan for the United Kingdom).
Putin also announced a series of new financial aid to families and businesses, particularly for the latter through periods of fiscal grace in the hope of curbing the dreaded increase in unemployment.
Finally, the President considered that Russia had managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic, thanks to the measures adopted since the beginning of the crisis, to confinement and to the period of forced unemployment. “Experience in other parts of the world has shown that overloading of healthcare systems has been the main cause of high mortality, “he said.
“But we, I repeat, are ready now,” added the Russian president, assuring that the number of beds in hospitals adapted for covid-19 patients has grown from 29,000 to 130,000 since March. He also insisted that the policy of massive tests carried out in Russia, which, according to him, allows the detection of asymptomatic and milder cases of covid-19 disease, allows to quickly deal with and isolate patients.
This tactic, with 5.6 million tests carried out so far, explains according to the Russian authorities the low lethality of the coronavirus in Russia. Putin promised to soon increase the number of tests carried out daily to 300,000 from the current 170,000. Without waiting for Putin’s speech, the authorities in Moscow and his region announced the extension of the confinement last week. and made the use of a mask mandatory in public transport and shops.
Saint Petersburg, the second largest city in the country, also followed this example. Other regions announced the relaxation of the confinement as of Tuesday, and will authorize walks with minors and the reopening of beauty salons. In the Russian neighborhood, Ukraine, Georgia and Kazakhstan also started on Monday the progressive suppression of confinement.
AFP
