MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a hospital for coronavirus patients in Moscow’s Kommunarka because it was important for him to see with his own eyes how things were going "on the frontline" of the battle against the disease, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on Rossiya-1 TV.
"He always prefers to see with his own eyes how things are going ‘on the frontline,’" Peskov said, commenting on Putin’s visit to the Kommunarka hospital. "Putin would not be Putin if he did not decide to go there. With regard to danger, all safety precautions were taken and he put on that yellow suit that has already become famous."
Peskov stressed that Putin’s decision to visit the hospital in Kommunarka came as a surprise. "Usually, the president’s visit somewhere comes after certain preparations and after a task force arrives there. Now we came without any preparations at all," he explained.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kommunarka hospital on March 24 to inspect the facility for treating suspected coronavirus patients. The hospital’s chief doctor, Denis Protsenko, accompanied the president during the visit.
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, including 1,014 of them in Moscow. The death toll has reached eight and 64 patients have recovered, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center.