MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. Russia’s authorities have evaluated the preliminary damage dealt to the national economy due to the self-isolation measures over the coronavirus pandemic, but this takes a back seat today, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
"Certainly, we have tallied up [the amount of damage]," Peskov said. "However, at the moment, all economic calculations take a back seat to the priority goal of safeguarding the public’s health and wellbeing and protecting people from epidemiologic danger."
On March 29, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov extended the high alert measures, introduced earlier. The new measures require self-isolation for people of all ages, with the exception of emergency medical assistance and grocery shopping. People are also allowed to commute to work, if their work hasn't been suspended. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin noted that the steps taken in these two regions could be extended to other Russian regions.
The coronavirus outbreak was recorded in central China in late December 2019. A total of 199 countries and territories have been hit by this infection, which was labeled as a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. According to the latest data, over 735,000 people have contracted the virus, and more than 34,000 have died.
So far, Russia has reported over 1,800 coronavirus cases, including more than 1,200 in Moscow, 9 fatalities and 66 recoveries.