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Russia’s Virus Epidemic Is Worse Than Data Show, Mayor Warns Putin

Russia Virus Epidemic Is Worse Than Data Show, Mayor Warns Putin

(Bloomberg) --

Russia faces a bigger threat from the coronavirus than official figures show because of a lack of adequate testing, Moscow’s mayor warned President Vladimir Putin.

In a rare public admission of what some experts and critics have claimed is an under-reporting of the scale of the outbreak, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said testing in Russia’s regions doesn’t show the “full picture” and that the country faces “big trouble that will pop up sooner or later.”

Moscow has as many as 500 people already infected, nearly double the publicly announced figure, and “the dynamics are high” in the spread of the disease in Europe’s largest capital, Sobyanin told Putin Tuesday at a meeting on preparations for fighting the epidemic. “A serious situation is unfolding.”

Officially, Moscow has 290 cases while the authorities say the total in Russia has increased by 57 to 495. State television later showed Putin visiting a hospital outside Moscow where staff are treating coronavirus patients.

Russia’s Virus Epidemic Is Worse Than Data Show, Mayor Warns Putin

Moscow is preparing to have 5,000 hospital beds ready to deal with coronavirus patients in three to four weeks, including by construction of a “huge” new hospital, and is seeking another 5,000 from federal services, Sobyanin told Putin. Other Russian regions should aim to ensure a similar level of provision, he said.

Russia may introduce punishments ranging from fines to as long as seven years in prison for violating sanitary rules during the crisis, the Interfax news service reported, citing amendments to the criminal code discussed at a meeting hosted by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. The State Duma may shift to online sessions in response to the virus threat, according to the state-run Tass news service.

With 146 million people, the low level of declared cases in Russia has stirred concern that the full extent of the crisis isn’t being acknowledged. Russian officials insist they’re being open about the epidemic and have pledged to ramp up testing. The authorities have denied persistent claims on social media and in Russian newspapers that they plan to lock down Moscow soon to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Russia closed its land border with China in January, soon after the scale of the outbreak there became clear, and last week banned entry to the country for all foreigners until May 1, while requiring 14-day quarantines for residents returning to Russia. Schools have closed nationwide, while Moscow officials have banned gatherings of more than 50 people.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.