No End
Wars often end long before the shooting stops. They end when one side concludes it cannot win, when both sides accept the limits of military power, or when external actors impose a framework that neither can ignore.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday extended the national paid leave introduced to contain the spread of COVID-19 to May 11.
In a televised address to the nation, Putin said, “We are now facing a new, perhaps the most intense stage in the fight against the epidemic. The risks of getting infected have reached a climax. The threat, the mortal danger of the virus persists, and this can affect everyone”,
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At the meeting, Putin ordered the government to prepare by May 5 a plan for gradual lifting of restrictions related to the pandemic from May 12.
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The Russian leader also ordered the government to prepare a package of measures to support the economy.
Non-working days were previously introduced from March 30 to April 30 and regional authorities stopped the work of most enterprises.
Putin warned that the peak of coronavirus infections still lay ahead, saying “the situation remains very difficult.”
But he nonetheless said lockdown measures could be eased from next month.
On April 22, Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani have discussed the recent situation related to the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic during a telephonic conversation.
According to the statement, the importance was noted of consolidating the efforts of the international community to combat the coronavirus pandemic together, including the Russian initiative to create “green corridors” free from trade wars and sanctions during the crisis for deliveries of medicines, food, equipment and technologies.
On Tuesday, the country has reported 6,411 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, with the total number rising to 93,558.
A new Moscow hospital built in a little over a month to treat coronavirus patients has admitted its first 20 patients, the Moscow mayor’s office said as the Russian capital continues to battle an onslaught of new cases.
Meanwhile, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 3 million people globally and led to over 2 lakh deaths.
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