MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. One in five Russians are working as volunteers to help other people amid lockdown restrictions, a poll conducted by the government’s coronavirus hotline team indicates.
"Many people are facing difficulties because of the lockdown as some have no one to buy them food, and others need to have someone to talk to on the phone. This is where volunteers and neighbors come in. About 20% of those surveyed said they are helping others one way or another. One to three percent are working as volunteers, four to five percent are helping their neighbors, six to seven percent are helping their friends and another four to five percent work in organizations that provide assistance to those in need," the statement reads.
One in five respondents pointed out that they were thinking about starting to help other people.
The poll involving over 206,000 people was conducted through the Viber mobile app and on the team’s page on the VKontakte social network on April 3-4.
So far, a total of 4,731 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 333 patients having recovered from the virus. The country’s latest data indicates 43 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.