VLADDY HELL
Coronavirus fears for Putin, 67, as top doc he shook hands with tests positive days later
FEARS have been raised for Vladimir Putin’s health after he shook hands with Russia’s top coronavirus doctor, who has now tested positive for the disease.
The 67-year-old Russian president visited a hospital last Tuesday, where he chatted to Denis Protsenko but neither man was wearing protective clothing, TV footage shows.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
6
6
6
has so far seen 2,337 cases and 17 deaths, and says the virus has spread to 73 of its more than 80 regions.
The Kremlin said that Putin was being regularly tested for coronavirus and that "everything is OK," the RIA news agency reported.
Pictures were later released showing him in a meeting with the head of a bank today.
Putin wore a hazmat suit and elaborate mask when he toured the coronavirus wards.
But there was no protective clothing when he was in other parts of the hospital with the chief doctor and his team.
Also present in Protsenko’s office when he chatted to other top officials including deputy premier Tatiana Golikova, 54, who is in overall charge of Russia’s coronavirus policy.
Chief hospital nurse Lyudmila Larionova said she was "shaken" by Putin’s decision to enter the coronavirus wing which is treating 350 victims, and where two died at the weekend.
6
6
The Russian president and the country’s elite have been accused of believing themselves to be immune from the virus.
Putin’s spokesman and close aide Dmitry Peskov on Sunday defended his visit to the hospital.
"He always prefers to see with his own eyes how things are going on the frontline,” he said on national TV.
"Putin would not be Putin if he did not decide to go there.”
Protsenko, 44, writing on Facebook said: "Yes, I have tested positive for coronavirus, but I feel pretty good.
“I've isolated myself in my office. I think the immunity I've developed this month is doing its job."
Earlier this month, laid out his plans for changes to the Russian constitution that will allow him to stay in power until 2036.
Russian lawmakers voted to give the government powers to declare a national emergency over the coronavirus.
most read in world news
The measures include penalties for violations of lockdown rules including, in extreme cases, jail terms of up to seven years.
Moscow, the area worst affected by the epidemic, declared a lockdown on Sunday and dozens of regions have since imposed similar restrictions.
Residents of the capital can only leave their homes to buy food or medicine nearby, get urgent medical treatment, walk the dog or empty their bins.
6
Vladimir Putin, 67, dons hazmat suit as he visits Russia’s main coronavirus clinic while Moscow’s new coronavirus hospital is built
Topics