MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. Russia has the means to solve problems in any of the possible scenarios for the development of the coronavirus pandemic, but it will not be possible to completely avoid losses, although they can be minimized, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"We will work confidently and professionally. I would like to emphasize, we have everything for this - a stable macroeconomic situation, minimal state debt, a solid safety net in the form of reserves accumulated over previous years, we have means to solve problems in any of the possible scenarios. Finally, we have experience in overcoming crises from past years," he said.
"It is clear that certain losses cannot be avoided, but we are able to minimize them and create conditions for future development," Putin added.
According to him, support will be given to "economic sectors affected by the crisis, and, the labor market, and the healthcare system". "We will do everything to help people who need help today," Putin said.
He emphasized that "support measures in all these areas should be prepared in a timely manner and should be implemented taking into account high dynamics of the situation." "You cannot postpone such decisions, you cannot delay them. I ask both the Russian government and the leaders of the Russian regions to be guided by such approach," Putin added.
Putin noted that, based on the experience of countries fighting the coronavirus infection, "the first four to five weeks from the start of the epidemic are the most difficult". "This means that the next two to three weeks will be decisive for the development of our situation. This is the period when we will need maximum concentration of all resources, the most stringent implementation of doctors’ recommendations, those preventive measures that are being introduced in every region today," he said.
Putin added that today it is impossible to say with full certainty how the situation will develop in the healthcare sector and in the economy both in Russia and in the world. "However, we can most likely predict, anticipate possible options for the development of the situation, which means we can and must develop our own action plan in advance for each of these scenarios, and then these measures will be timely and effective,"he stressed.