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.
