MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the Russians have united in the face of pandemic and that helped to minimize losses.
"The most important thing is that this situation [with the coronavirus] has united us all - it is a fact - and that helped us get out of this situation with minimal losses," Putin said on Friday during a videoconference with representatives of those economic sectors that have been affected by the coronavirus fallout.
After the video conference, Putin stated that "the economy, and the country in general, have reserves along with successful models for a real - what is more, substantial - increase in labor productivity and efficiency in all spheres."
"We can see that - thanks to the new, phased-in approaches - the time has been considerably reduced before beginning treatment of the patients with coronavirus infection, by several times in some cases, and that the output of personal protective equipment, medical equipment and medicines has multiplied. These are not just statistics or dry indicators of performance, they stand for [human] health being protected and human lives being saved," the president emphasized.
Putin believes that "the tried and tested practices that enable a rapid, cost-effective growth in productivity should have across-the-board support."
"Reserves for this growth are available everywhere. It is crucial that not only are technological improvements taking place, but that employees are changing their attitude to work, that the culture of production and labor is changing, and thus the competitiveness of our entire country is growing up," the president stressed. In his opinion, it is vital for Russia’s long-term growth.
Apart from that, the president emphasized that "we must not forget that there are enough problems and that it is not as good everywhere as we would prefer to, since people still face problems they cannot solve quickly and effectively."
Nevertheless, Putin is convinced that the country "could overcome all the difficulties and is on the right track."
"All we need to do is circulate positive practices," he said.
Putin said thank you to all those who had been working hard during the pandemic and promised that the authorities would take into consideration the proposals aimed at enhancing efficiency in a wide range of economic sectors.
To date, 569,063 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 324,406 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 7,841 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.