MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. The number of those taken to hospital with coronavirus in Moscow by the end of the week is much less than anticipated, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Friday, adding that around 15,000 hospital beds could be converted to receive coronavirus patients.
"We have a reserve of several thousands of beds in hospitals, which are coping with the situation. And as I have already said, about the same number, about 15,000 beds, can be included in the program," he said in an interview with the Vesti program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.
According to the mayor, Moscow’s authorities anticipated that the number of patients taken to hospitals with coronavirus by the end of the current week would be "three or four times as big." "Thank god, it did not happen. That is why we prolong the schedule of commissioning new facilities. Probably, we will not even need some of them," he added.
He noted that 37 hospitals in Moscow receive coronavirus patients. "Moreover, about the same number of clinics are ready to join the anti-coronavirus efforts," he said.
Coronavirus restricitons
Sobyanin has warned that coronavirus lockdown measures may be further toughened in case the number of violations grows.
"If we see that the number of violations by people or companies grows," he said in an interview with the Vesti program on the Rossiya-1 television channel when asked about possible toughening of the current lockdown measures.
"We have all the instruments for that," he added.
"I can say that a vast majority of Muscovites abide by the lockdown measures introduced by the authorities," he added.
By now, as many as 18,105 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Moscow, or 56.6% of the country’s overall number. A total of 1,517 patients have recovered and 127 have died. A coronavirus lockdown regime has been in force in the capital city since March 29 and a system of electronic passes was imposed on April 15 to control travels by both private and public transport.