MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is like a war humankind is waging on an unknown enemy, Rector of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) Vladimir Mau told TASS on Tuesday.
"I would refrain from speculating about World War III - we all still remember the atrocities of World War I and World War II. But, nevertheless, I think that such a comparison is quite appropriate. Because we are indeed fighting against an unknown enemy. We were getting prepared, we were developing public health but the challenge, a global one, came unexpectedly and no one knows what the enemy is going to do," he said.
According to Mau, any war presents a choice: to protect either human lives or the economy.
"It is an existential choice indeed, because it depends to a larger extent on the level of trust between the elites and society, between society and the government. Some can afford to lock down everything, like in a number of Asian nations. Others, like Sweden, can offer a model when everyone agrees to keep a social distance without lockdowns. There is an intermediate option and most of European countries preferred it," he said. "It is very important to understand the balance between the economy and human lives. <…> It is not a choice for the government only. It is a choice for each person, each family.".