The agenda includes expanding tests for the coronavirus infection and the regions’ rights to set restrictive measures depending on the real situation in the region.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Meeting of the Presidium of the Government Coordination Council to control the incidence of novel coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation
Good afternoon, colleagues,
Yesterday Vladimir Putin held a meeting on countering the coronavirus infection via videoconference with leading specialists, doctors and virologists. He stressed that all the actions of the government bodies must be well-measured and adequate to what is happening. First of all, this goes to the advanced diagnostics and medical aid for people.
In order for every person to have an opportunity to check their health and take the test if necessary, we decided to significantly increase the number of labs where such tests are carried out. All the labs that applied, including those that are private, have received the right to carry out coronavirus tests. In order to get this right, it is necessary to apply online via Rospotrebnadzor’s website. If the novel coronavirus is found, the lab must send this information to Rospotrebnadzor.
It is obvious that we will need more and more test systems. People are worried about their health and that of their families. We have all the capacities to produce test systems and meet the national demand. By the way, as I have already mentioned, Russia is one of the top three countries regarding the number of coronavirus tests made: almost 800,000 so far.
At the same time, measures to counter the coronavirus must be tailored, considering the specifics of the region. Above all they must consider the number of cases: somewhere there are 1,000 cases, and somewhere else just several cases. .
Today the heads of regions have received the right to set restrictive measures depending on what the real situation is like as well as to determine which industries and enterprises can continue their work, including those that play akey role when it comes to the development of their territories. We understand that all the enterprises have different scales, different production cycles and different technologies, so employers have to adapt Rospotrebnadzor’s recommendations accordingly and comply with them in order to ensure as much protection as possible for employees and clients in every case. All the necessary information is published and regularly updated on Rospotrebnadzor’s website.
The health of workers should remain an absolute priority. It is of extreme importance to comply with sanitary regulations and recommendations for the prevention of the novel coronavirus infection. First of all, this concerns sending employees off to work remotely. And where this is not possible, it is necessary to maintain social distancing. To work in several shifts, place people on different floors or in separate offices, check their temperature at the beginning of and during the working day, provide workers with disinfectant, and regularly disinfect the workplaces – in general, everything that Rospotrebnadzor recommends. If anyone has a high temperature and signs of an infectious disease, an employee should be sent home and take sick leave. The Government has adopted all the necessary documents for this.
The main burden is now put on medical workers who every day are at risk of infection. I would like to address epidemiologists who monitor the observance of security measures in medical organisations where infectious patients are being treated. I address the regions specially, this is absolutely your responsibility. You should get hold of such specialists, including those from health resorts that are temporarily not working. I would like to ask all the regions to actively use this resource in order to prevent the hospital-acquired spread of the infection. It is extremely important.
Colleagues, every morning now in almost all countries the day begins with information about the coronavirus. This is really a common threat for the whole world, and it is impossible to fight it alone. The Russian Federation has already sent its test kits to more than 30 countries, primarily to our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States and other countries too. These measures are necessary primarily to minimise the risk of spreading the infection to our country.
Today, the President plans to hold a conference call with the governors and discuss, among other things, providing the Russian regions with everything necessary to fight the infection and the opportunities that regional enterprises have in the production of medical devices for combating the coronavirus.
We also need to prepare for this work, let us discuss it now.
