MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Readiness of certain regions to counter the coronavirus pandemic leaves much to be desired, special work is being conducted with them, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
"There are regions where the situation leaves much to be desired, and there are regions that are preparing [for the coronavirus spread] more successfully," he acknowledged. According to the spokesman, "Moscow is the trendsetter here as it faced the infection growth earlier than others and infection rates are still high there."
Peskov reiterated that there are regions that are taking too much time to complete tasks to improve preparedness to tackle the coronavirus crisis, adding that special works are being conducted with them, "the federal coordination commission is working more closely with them."
Answering the question what plan the authorities have to fight the coronavirus, Peskov stressed, "the plan is not changing, there is only one tactic." "The [Russian] president [Vladimir Putin] is supervising rates of introducing additional capabilities and specially equipped hospital beds in the regions and how these beds are provided with the necessary equipment and protective gear."
To date, a total of 32,008 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 2,590 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 273 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.