MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to outline the worst-hit economic sectors due to the coronavirus outbreak and launch permanent monitoring of the economic situation in order to update this list, according to the Kremlin website.
"I order to define the list of Russian economic fields, which have been the most affected also due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, and organize permanent monitoring of the economic situation in Russia, and regularly update this list upon these results," the decree said.
The Russian government has been also ordered to report about the monitoring’s results every month starting from April 1, 2020.
In his address to the nation on March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a range of measures to support small and medium-sized businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak. The president announced a decision to grant small and medium-sized businesses deferred tax on all taxes, except VAT, for next six months. And for micro-enterprises, in addition to such a tax deferral, he also proposed a deferral of insurance contributions to social funds. According to him, these measures will be extended to companies operating in sectors most affected by the coronavirus.
The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has affected most countries in the world, beginning with the outbreak in central China in late December 2019. According to the latest data, more than 620,000 people have contracted the coronavirus globally and nearly 30,000 have died. Russia has registered a total of 1,534 coronavirus cases. The death toll has reached eight and 64 patients have recovered, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center.