MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the nation to demonstrate solidarity and obey by discipline amid the novel coronavirus spread risks.
"I ask people of the country to take the measures taken by the government with understanding. Your solidarity, composure, responsibility, discipline and readiness to support one another are essential now as never before. These qualities have always helped us overcome any problems, like in any good big family," he said on Tuesday at a meeting with government members.
He stressed the necessity to ensure smooth work at all levels. "We must work together to overcome this problem, we must take special care of the elderly, of our old parents, of our children. We must spare no effort to protect them," he said.
Of special significance, in his words, are awareness-building efforts. "I count on active participation of the mass media and volunteer movements. People must be aware of what is to be done, where they can turn to for support, which measures are to be taken to avoid potential risks," Putin stressed.
A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December 2019. Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from more than 130 countries and territories, including Russia, which has 114 coronavirus cases. The World Health Organization says that the novel coronavirus cases across the globe have exceeded 180,000, with more than 7,000 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially described the situation with the novel coronavirus as a pandemic.