RTSat, 21 Mar 2020 05:04 UTC
© Reuters / Flavio Lo Scalzo
Russia is set to send teams of doctors, protective gear and medical equipment to Italy to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. It follows an appeal by Italian PM Giuseppe Conte during a phone call with Vladimir Putin.
The coronavirus is spreading like wildfire in the southern European country, where nearly 800 people succumbed to the disease on Saturday alone - the largest daily loss since the start of the pandemic.
The overall number of deaths in Italy now stands at 4,825, with 53,578 infected, having long surpassed China, where the virus originated.
The Russian president voiced his support to the leadership in Rome and the Italian people as he spoke with Conte, according to the Kremlin. But it wasn't just words, as he said Russia was willing to provide protective gear, mobile sanitizers and other medical equipment to Italy. Eight teams of Russian military medics and virology experts are already on standby and could be deployed to Italy as early as Sunday, once Rome approves the move, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed."In response to a request from the Italian side, the Russian president confirmed his readiness to promptly provide the necessary assistance and outlined the specific parameters [of what Russia can offer]," the Kremlin's press service reported. It further noted that Putin initiated the phone call with Conte.
Comment: Putin is probably reacting to the
reports that the coronavirus death toll in Italy hit 4,825 as 793 died on Saturday. Are they dying from coronavirus or another malady though? In response to the so-called "worst crisis since WWII" Italy has
ordered all business and activities that are not vital for providing basic necessities to be closed. In Moscow they have
closed gyms, swimming pools, and waterparks. The number of cases
reported in New York has reached 10,000, with more than half of the cases in the US located in New York. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has even pleaded for Trump to deploy the military to his city. People wishing for martial law is a strange sight. In the UK, the
number of deaths is up to 233.
In some positive news for world cooperation, Trump
wrote to North Korea to praise their handling of the coronavirus and offered to cooperate with Chairman Kim to contain the virus. In Russia, a leading infectious diseases specialist
faces jail for hiding his trip to Spain and potentially exposing her patients since she has test positive for COVID-19. India has not gone so far as to impose a lockdown but instead has
asked Indians to "self-curfew." India has only reported 315 cases so far.
Of course what is a crisis without a Hollywood liberal telling people what they should do. Actor Sean Penn wrote an op-ed for
The Guardian calling for Trump to declare martial law. He should be careful what he wishes for, it's pretty difficult to put that genie back in its bottle and it seems Trump knows that, since he is clearly very reticent to use that option.
Comment: Putin is probably reacting to the reports that the coronavirus death toll in Italy hit 4,825 as 793 died on Saturday. Are they dying from coronavirus or another malady though? In response to the so-called "worst crisis since WWII" Italy has ordered all business and activities that are not vital for providing basic necessities to be closed. In Moscow they have closed gyms, swimming pools, and waterparks. The number of cases reported in New York has reached 10,000, with more than half of the cases in the US located in New York. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has even pleaded for Trump to deploy the military to his city. People wishing for martial law is a strange sight. In the UK, the number of deaths is up to 233.
In some positive news for world cooperation, Trump wrote to North Korea to praise their handling of the coronavirus and offered to cooperate with Chairman Kim to contain the virus. In Russia, a leading infectious diseases specialist faces jail for hiding his trip to Spain and potentially exposing her patients since she has test positive for COVID-19. India has not gone so far as to impose a lockdown but instead has asked Indians to "self-curfew." India has only reported 315 cases so far.
Of course what is a crisis without a Hollywood liberal telling people what they should do. Actor Sean Penn wrote an op-ed for The Guardian calling for Trump to declare martial law. He should be careful what he wishes for, it's pretty difficult to put that genie back in its bottle and it seems Trump knows that, since he is clearly very reticent to use that option.