Putin has demanded reducing human losses caused by spread of coronavirus to a minimum, reports Interfax.

“We know very well that people die from the flu and pneumonia every year in almost all countries, including Russia. This is why our common objective is to reduce the losses to a minimum. The coronavirus spread across China is a new phenomenon, and we need to understand how ready we are to face the challenge. This is based on the fact that the Russian government, the Ministry of Healthcare and the Rospotrebnadzor (Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare) are doing everything they can to make sure we are all ready,” he said.

Talking about the epidemic, Putin stated that there are already deaths and reminded that the Russian government has developed preventive measures to prevent the spread of the virus across Russia.