After months of denials, Russia is facing a new reality with respect to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the country. Friday’s statistics officially acknowledge 1,036 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, including four deaths. The real numbers are undoubtedly much higher, as testing for the potentially deadly disease is only starting to pick up steam and some of the coronavirus deaths are being attributed to other causes.
The highly contagious virus that knows no boundaries has already penetrated the walls of the Kremlin. Russian media reported that two Kremlin officials may have tested positive for the coronavirus. So far, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed being aware of one of those cases, but claimed not to have any knowledge of the second one. State media outlet TASS speculated that one of the infected persons may have been a staffer responsible for awards, who traveled to Spain and later attended Putin’s presidential awards ceremony in occupied Crimea.
Putin’s own spokesman couldn’t avoid the handshake of the disease, having been present at the star-studded birthday party attended by singer Lev Leshchenko, who recently tested positive for coronavirus. Dmitry Peskov claimed that attendees of the fancy affair maintained proper distancing and “barely even shook hands” in light of the coronavirus advisories. However, video clips aired by the Russian state media TV show 60 Minutes demonstrated that celebrity partiers hugged, kissed and made silly gestures mocking the coronavirus precautions. Peskov denied interacting with the infected singer at the party.
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