Muscovites required to obtain QR codes to leave home during quarantine

2020/03/31

Starting from April 3, Russian citizens will be informed about quarantine violations through SMS services and the Unified portal of public services. Starting from April 1, the Ministry of Communications will start providing the Social Insurance Fund and the Moscow Government with information about the citizens who should observe self-isolation regime. It goes about those who arrived from the countries with an unfavorable epidemiological situation.

In the near future, all Muscovites will need to have a QR code to leave their homes. With the help of the code, representatives of regulatory and law enforcement agencies will be able to verify the eligibility of the citizens' decisions to go outside. CCTV cameras, telephone billing and bank transactions will be used to monitor quarantine violators.

Not to be considered as such, Muscovites should create personal accounts on the website of the Moscow administration indicating their residential address, phone number and attaching a photo. After the registration, people will be able to obtain unique QR codes on their smartphones.

One will have to receive such code for every step outside, be it the need to go to the nearest grocery store, to take garbage out, to walk a dog or go to the dacha.

One can print the QR code out or save it on a smartphone. New codes will have to be received for every need to go outside.

Law enforcement officers, members of the government and the Moscow administration, members of the State Duma and the Federation Council will be allowed to move around the city without the need to print out the code.

The authorities intend to control the movement of Muscovites in several ways:

  • the police will check QR codes of individuals who move anywhere on foot, by car or by public transport;
  • banks will provide information about transactions made outside area of ​​residence;
  • mobile operators will provide data on the movement of citizens;
  • information about citizens will be collected using cameras connected to face recognition system.

The regime of self-isolation has already been implemented in dozens of Russian regions, including Moscow and the Moscow Region.

In all regions where the regime is in effect, residents are prohibited from leaving their homes. They are allowed to go out to the nearest grocery store or pharmacy, to take garbage out, to walk pets at a distance of no more than 100 meters from the house, to receive emergency medical care, in life-threatening cases. It is allowed to leave home to go to work if there is no opportunity to work from home.

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Doctor, who talked to Putin, diagnosed with coronavirus infection

2020/03/31

Denis Protsenko, the chief physician of the hospital in the settlement of Kommunarka near Moscow, was diagnosed with coronavirus. It was said that Mr. Protsenko remains in satisfactory condition.

Denis Protsenko wrote on his Facebook page that he "feels quite well." "I have isolated myself in my office, where I have all conditions for working remotely. I think that the immunity system that I have developed over this month is doing its job," he wrote.

On March 24, Protsenko accompanied President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the hospital in Kommunarka, where Covid-19 patients are treated. Putin was wearing a special yellow protective suit to enter some of the rooms of the hospital. However, when talking to Protsenko, the president was wearing a regular tracksuit and no protection at all. Protsenko then warned the head of state about the possible development of the "Italian scenario" in Russia that could entail a large number of infected patients and victims.

Putin feels fine

Putin's official spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, announced that the president takes regular tests. "Putin gets tested regularly. Everything is fine," Peskov said.

Denis Protsenko is the chief freelance specialist in anesthesiology and intensive care at the Moscow Department of Health. Prior to the creation of the Center for Infectious Diseases in Kommunarka, he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at the Russian Research University named after N.I. Pirogov.

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COVID-19: Women front and centre

2020/03/31

COVID-19: Women front and centre

Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director


One thing is clear about the COVID-19 pandemic, as stock markets tumble, schools and universities close, people stockpile supplies and home becomes a different and crowded space: this is not just a health issue. It is a profound shock to our societies and economies, exposing the deficiencies of public and private arrangements that currently function only if women play multiple and underpaid roles.

Extraordinary measures

We applaud the efforts of governments who are taking extraordinary measures to stop the spread of infections. And the strong leadership, from grassroots to head of state, providing well targeted response, from Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Solberg addressing national anxieties, to Prime Minister Ardern highlighting welfare in her economic measures.

Schools closed

With children out of school, mothers at home may still work, but many have also become teachers and caregivers, with consequences for those previously employed in those roles. For the 8.5 million women migrant domestic workers, often on insecure contracts, income loss also affects their dependents back at home. Professional women like South Korean mother-of-two Sung So-young are reporting the dilemma of needing to return to the office but are having to forgo that to enable their higher-earning partners’ continued work. As schools close in more countries, the number of mothers facing this across the world rises and the consequences accumulate.

By the middle of March there were 207,855 confirmed cases in 166 countries, areas or territories. Without data that is disaggregated by sex, however, these numbers give us only part of the story of the impact on women and men. We need far more sex-disaggregated data to tell us how the situation is evolving, including on differing rates of infection, differential economic impacts, differential care burden, and incidence of domestic violence and sexual abuse. 

Even without this, experience from previous major epidemics points us to specific strengths and vulnerabilities that we can look out for and be proactive to safeguard. Where governments or businesses put income protection in place, this can ease these dilemmas, sustain incomes and avoid driving households into poverty. This response must also include those in the informal economy, where most women who work outside home make their livelihood. Such social protection is best directed specifically to women.

The 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and the 2015-2016 Zika epidemic in Latin America provide essential, gendered public health and socioeconomic lessons. Women in those outbreaks were exposed to both health and economic risks, as they are again now, in ways intrinsically connected with their roles in the community and responsibilities as caregivers within the home and family.


Access for women

For example, both Ebola and Zika infections are potentially catastrophic for pregnant women. Yet during both previous outbreaks, access to family planning services were very limited, and pregnant and lactating women were excluded from vaccination against the viruses.  This underlines the importance of sustained maternal health services to avoid a resurgence of birth-related deaths, and equal access for women to the development and use of all medical products including vaccines once produced.

In Liberia, 85 per cent of daily market traders are women. Their livelihoods and economic security suffered as Ebola-related travel restrictions limited trade and affected perishable goods. Back then, together with the Central Bank of Liberia, we were able to help thousands of women cross-border traders to save and expand their businesses through cash transfers via mobile technology. This highlights the importance of looking ahead to women’s roles in recovery measures, and to the innovative use of technology to problem-solve.

This is a moment for governments to recognize both the enormity of the contribution women make and the precarity of so many. This includes a focus on sectors where women are over-represented and underpaid, such as daily wage earners, small business owners, those working in cleaning, caring, cashiering and catering sectors and in the informal economy.

Globally, women make up 70 percent of frontline workers in the health and social sector, like nurses, midwives, cleaners and laundry workers. We need mitigation strategies that specifically target both the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on women and that support and build women’s resilience, as we saw in Liberia and elsewhere.  And to make those responses as well designed as possible, women should be fully engaged in their creation, be priority recipients of aid, and partners in building the longer-term solutions.

We are learning more every day from the arc of the pandemic in China. We have been working closely there with country leadership as part of the UN collective response. Joint campaigns have reached 1 billion people, with communications that raise awareness through public health information, combat stigma and discrimination, reflect women’s specific needs, promote women’s leadership and contributions and develop recovery plans that link equality, health and the economy.

I am proud that our UN Women team has been there every step of the way, making sure of access to gender responsive information and collaborating with sister agencies like UNFPA which has been mobilizing support for pregnant women and safe conditions for childbirth. We are also working with women’s organizations all over the world, for example with the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) where women, especially in highly segregated environments, can lack critical information. Here, women have organized themselves into a network that educates women and girls about keeping safe and avoiding infections.

All of us engaged in this effort, whether public or private sector, need to take a coordinated, people-centred approach to rapidly building health system capacity in both developed and developing countries, making a conscious effort to put women front and centre. For example, creating better access to appropriate personal protective equipment for home-based caregivers, and removing obstacles to their work, by promoting flexible working arrangements, and ensuring supplies of menstrual hygiene products.  These needs are even more important for areas under lockdown or quarantine. So too are considerations of gender-based violence that are exacerbated by these conditions, but may not receive the attention they need, in the drive to respond to the pandemic.

Violence against women

Violence against women is already an epidemic in all societies, without exception. Every day, on average, 137 women are killed by a member of their own family. We also know that levels of domestic violence and sexual exploitation spike when households are placed under the increased strains that come from security, health and money worries, and cramped and confined living conditions. We see this frequently among displaced populations in crowded refugee camps; and reported domestic violence has tripled recently in some countries practising social distancing.

Cyberviolence too has become a routine feature of the internet, and as movement restrictions increase online gaming and use of chat rooms, this is an area for vigilance to protect girls. Girls too can step up their own resistance work in this area, and lead with social media solutions. In China the hashtag #AntiDomesticViolenceDuringEpidemic has taken off, helping to expose violence as a risk during lockdown and linked to online resources.

COVID-19 provides us with an opportunity for radical, positive action to redress long-standing inequalities in multiple areas of women’s lives.  There is scope for not just endurance, but recovery and growth. I ask governments and all other service providers including the private sector to take this opportunity to plan their response to COVID-19 as they have never done before, and fully take a gender perspective into account, proactively building gender expertise into response teams and embedding gender dimensions within response plans. For example, include surge funding for women’s shelters so they can provide for women who need to escape violent relationships,  and aim economic support and bail outs specifically at retail sectors, hospitality and small businesses where women are predominantly employed on precarious contracts, if any, and are most vulnerable to forced cost-saving. 

All of this needs funding; organizations responding to COVID-19 need budgeted resources for gender and social inclusion and I urge donors to include this in their support, viewing this as a constant, strongly positive element to include in development budgets and enhancing rather than cutting support to gender equality measures. Organizations serving women need assistance to bolster their response and to prepare for the recovery. This needs resources that many organizations lack.  We appeal to funders to enhance their support for women rather than take an austerity approach. A global, coordinated response of the magnitude that followed the financial crisis is needed, constructed with a gender lens, and fully inclusive.

This is a time of reckoning for our national and personal values and a recognition of the strength of solidarity for public services and society as a whole. This is an opportunity to build back better, stronger, resilient and equal societies. It is a time for bold prioritization. Taking the right steps now with an eye to a restored future could bring both relief and hope to the women of the world.

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Covid-19 in Russia: 500 infections in 24 hours, 2,337 in total

2020/03/31

In Russia, 500 people were infected with coronavirus in 24 regions of the country over the last 24 hours.

In total, as of March 31, 2,337 cases of coronavirus infection were reported in 73 regions of the country. First incidents were reported in Magadan and Astrakhan regions.

Seventeen lethal outcomes were registered, 121 people recovered in total, while 55 people recovered within the last 24 hours.

Criminal responsibility for fake coronavirus news

Meanwhile, the State Duma passed the bill on criminal liability for violation of quarantine and imprisonment of up to five years for distributing fake news about the spread of coronavirus.

According to the document, non-compliance with sanitary and epidemiological measures leads to the death of two or more persons may entail punishment of up to seven years in prison.

Distributing fake news about coronavirus may entail fines of up to 700,000 rubles. If the distribution of fake news leads to someone's death, the amount of the fine will be increased to 2 million rubles.

According to most recent information, a total of 2,337 cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in the country. Positive cases were reported in 73 regions of Russia.

Most cases of infection were recorded in Moscow - 387 new cases were detected in the capital within one day, bringing the total number of positive cases in the city to 1,613 people.

On March 29, Russian regions began implementing general self-isolation regimes against the backdrop of the spread of coronavirus.

On March 31, it was reported that the Ministry of Justice proposed to suspend the state registration of acts of marriage and divorce in Russia. The Justice Ministry explained its proposal with an "unfavorable situation" that has developed in connection with the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus infection in the country.

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Oil prices fall to abysmal levels as the world stays home

2020/03/30

The cost of Russia's Urals crude has collapsed to $16.2 per barrel, having thus marked an anti-record since 1999. Experts believe that the price of oil may fall even lower and stay on this level for quite a while.

Over the past week, Urals crude has fallen in price by 25%. At the same time, the discount of the Russian brand to Brent has increased and amounted to almost $5 per barrel. Previously, the difference between Urals and Brent crude ranged from 2 to 4 dollars per barrel.

Urals is ​​a brand of Russian oil produced by mixing of various types of "black gold" in the system of pipelines - heavy sour crude from the Urals and the Volga region, and light West Siberian oil. This crude is exported primarily to European countries. The budget rule, on the basis of which the federal budget and the National Welfare Fund (NWF) are replenished, is based on the price on Urals oil. In 2020, the federal budget received funds based on the price of 42.4 dollars per one barrel of Urals crude.

When the price fell below $25 per barrel, the Russian Central Bank started carrying out additional interventions to sell foreign currency from its reserves (to support the ruble). Last week, the Central Bank conducted such interventions daily for more than 13 billion rubles.

As oil prices go down, the value of the Russian ruble against the US dollar and the euro is going down as well. Thus, the dollar is traded at around 80.1 rubles (+ 1.6%), and the euro - at nearly 89 rubles (+ 1.1%).

According to experts, In the absence of any positive news, they will continue to slide $20-24 per barrel.

Market members do not exclude a rather long period, when oil prices remain on low levels due to decreased volumes of refining. The demand for petroleum products in the world has fallen sharply due to a significant decrease in global economic activity that occurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The expiration of the OPEC + deal could only add more fuel to the fire.

The physical oil market is experiencing a catastrophic decline in demand. Onshore oil storage facilities are full, and oil traders are forced to keep oil on board supertankers in the sea. Oil refineries suspend production because there is no demand for their products. In many regions of the world, oil is sold for less than $10 per barrel. Moreover, there are negative prices in a number of isolated regions, where suppliers have to pay extra to get rid of their oil.

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Covid-19 coronavirus temperature limits: Climate does not matter

2020/03/30

Scientists from the University of Hong Kong have found at which temperatures the novel coronavirus remains most and least active. According to them, the virus remains highly stable for a long time at a temperature of about +4 degrees Celsius. In the absence of disinfection, its activity begins to decline only after 14 days.

COVID-19 is very sensitive to high temperatures: it dies within five minutes at +70 °C. At +56 ° C, the virus remains active for less than half an hour, at +37 degrees - for no more than two days, and at a temperature of 22 degrees - for about a week.

Scientists find how long coronavirus can live on various surfaces

On the outer side of medical masks the virus lives for at least a week at room temperature and relative humidity of 65 percent. Coronavirus stays on paper for less than three hours, on wooden surfaces and fabrics - for not more than two days, on glass - for less than four days, on stainless steel and plastic - for no longer than a week.

It is worthy of note that reusable face masks made of fabric, which many people tend to use nowadays instead of disposable medical masks (or due to the shortage of them) can be used repeatedly only after meticulous disinfection. As with disposable medical masks, cloth masks need to be changed every two to three hours of constant use.

  • At home, cloth masks need to be washed with soap or detergent and then treated with a steam generator or steam iron.
  • After disinfection, one should press the mask with hot iron without steaming it to kill all the germs that can live in moist fabric.

As medical specialists all over the world emphasize, such masks are intended primarily for sick individuals in the first place. They can be effective only in combination with other prophylactic measures (avoiding contact, frequent washing of hands, disinfection of items and surfaces, etc.). In addition, the mask should be worn by people who provide medical care for sick individuals.

Healthy people can wear the mask when visiting public places, using public transport, but the effectiveness of the mask in such situations has not been proven. Disposable medical masks made of non-woven material should not be reused or disinfected.

Coronavirus pandemic to end this summer?

Specialists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that 90% of cases of COVID-19 infection occurred at temperatures ranging from 3 to 17°C and absolute humidity from 4 to 9 g/m³. If their assumption is correct, warm and humid weather in the coming months may improve the situation in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere, whereas the situation in the countries of the Southern Hemisphere may worsen. However, this does not mean that coronavirus will not spread in countries with warm and humid climate.

For example, in Thailand, where temperatures remain at about 30 degrees Centigrade all the year round, coronavirus remains active  and tough measures to combat it. At the same time, the novel virus is now actively spreading in Syria and turkey, where temperatures already near +25C. Some specialists believe that climate shows no influence on the new coronavirus as it has spread on all continents, except Antarctica. This is just an observation as there is still no scientific base to explain the nature of the new coronavirus.

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Wealthy Russians escape from the West back home

2020/03/30

Maria Zakharova, an official spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on her Facebook page that the Office of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation receives many calls and emails from Russians living in other countries, who ask the department to help them or their relatives return to Russia due to the closure of flights and borders.

According to Zakharova, some "very rich" people called and said they wanted to send a private jet to London "to pick up their boy who has been living there for a long time and fly him over to Moscow."
When the person was asked why they wanted to bring the boy back home to Russia, the caller responded that the British authorities canceled health insurance policies for foreigners, so every foreigner residing in the UK now has to pay a lot of money for healthcare services.

"You have been fooled for so many years and you have been paying for it - you have been paying gold for decay, for an illusion, instead of supporting your country and your people, who, with titanic efforts, patience and love have been restoring after the collapse of the USSR and chaos of the 1990s," responded Zakharova.

"You were buying real estate and building business there, but when you were shown the door, you are standing in lines at airports of the world screaming: "We are Russian citizens!" while blowing dust off your Russian passports," Zakharova wrote.

The post from the official spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry sparked quite a discussion. Some users responded that healthcare insurance could not be abolished for those, about whom Zakharova wrote. Others concluded that Zakharova was simply engaged in her Kremlin propaganda work.

This argument is pointless for a number of reasons.

  1. Even if they still have healthcare insurance in the West, it does not help, because the coronavirus pandemic has gone out of control. There is a very strong shortage of artificial respirator machines in the world and no money can buy them. To take a test for Covid-19 disease, one has to queue up for it.
  2. World's best democracies have proved to be powerless in the face of the pandemic. There are not enough artificial lung ventilating machines, no tests, medical masks get stolen on a state level, like, for example, the Czech Republic did, having appropriated masks that were meant to be for Spain.
  3. Russia is huge. During troubled times, one can get lost in Siberia and survive hard times there. One can hardly do it in tiny European states.

They closed borders, but ask help from China, Russia and Cuba

These so-called "totalitarian" states have prepared for the pandemic well. They have mobilized medicine and economics, and they can also provide wealthy patients with adequate treatment - the pandemic does not cancel corruption in Russia.

Wealthy people, if they return from their comfortable homes in the West, may use this chance to invest in Russian medicine. This is probably the only positive aspect of the story.

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Moscow officially quarantined after weekend BBQ parties

2020/03/29

Starting from Monday, March 30, due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus infection, all residents of Moscow, regardless of their age, are prescribed to stick to the "home isolation regime." Moscow also announced restrictions on the movement of people around the city.

"Starting tomorrow, the home self-isolation regime shall be introduced for all residents of Moscow, regardless of their age," a message on the website of the Moscow mayor said.

In the coming days, people will be allowed to leave their homes only if they obtain a special pass that will be issued according to the procedure established by the Moscow government. Afterwards, the authorities will be tightening control "gradually, but steadily," the message said.

On Saturday, the first of nine days, which was declared a non-working day due to the spread of the novel virus, many Moscow residents neglected recommendations from the authorities. Countless families went to the countryside, to parks and city streets, many others arranged shashlyk (barbecue) parties, when people go outside to make shashlyk (meat on skewers). Even though the weather was beautiful on March 28 in Moscow - it was +17C and sunny - the authorities did not like such social behavior as Russia has all chances to experience the crisis that Spain and Italy are currently going through.

From Monday, March 30, residents and guests of Moscow will be allowed to leave their apartments only in the following cases:

  • to ask for emergency medical assistance;
  • a direct threat to life and health;
  • to travel to work, but only if a person is required to go to work;
  • to do grocery shopping in the nearest grocery store or pharmacy;
  • to walk domestic animals (at a distance not exceeding 100 meters from the place of residence (stay);
  • to take out household garbage.

Doctors and authorities remind Russians that every single individual, regardless of their age, runs the risk of contracting and dying from the novel coronavirus - babies, schoolchildren and adolescents, young people, but not just the elderly who suffer from chronic diseases.

Covid-19 claims 9 lives in Russia; many young people infected

Almost 40 percent of patients, who were connected to artificial lung ventilation machines in Moscow after contracting the coronavirus infection are younger than 40 years old.

People under the age of 60 make up about 50 percent of all who have suffered lung damage as a result of the coronavirus infection. Their share of the total number of severe patients is 45 percent, whereas 15 percent of infected individuals, who suffer complications, are under 40 years of age.

As of March 29, the number of positive Covid-19 cases in Moscow is 1,014 people. Forty-six percent of patients are from 35 to 64 years of age. Younger people - aged 18 to 34 years - account for 33.5% of the total number of patients. People over 65 make up only 15 percent of patients.

5.5% of those affected are children who often have a mild or no symptoms at all, even though they still carry the virus.

According to most recent information, a total of 1,534 positive cases were reported in Russia (1,014 of them in Moscow), 64 patients recovered, nine died.

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The Covid-19 honeymoon, common sense and the post-Covid world

2020/03/29

The Covid-19 honeymoon, common sense and the post-Covid world

Covid-19 is a leveller which puts us all on the same level, in the same boat, at the same risk and will have the same consequences for all of us.

Covid-19 is without any doubt one of the biggest challenges any of us have faced in our lifetimes, if not the very greatest. It is an unseen foe which can claim the lives of our grandchildren, children, siblings, spouses, parents or grandparents within a few days. This is not a time for complacency, for stupidity or for in-fighting, it is a time for us to listen and read more than we speak and write, to heed the advice of the experts, to use common sense and to pull together as a world community. It is a pity that it takes something like this, which has destroyed countless families across the globe, to make us realize this.

The great lesson

It did not happen with Influenza A H1N1 in 2009-2010 because the mortality rate was 0.2 per cent but we were lucky. The health authorities warned us to be vigilant, and did not impose travel or trade restrictions until it became a pandemic. It did not happen with Ebola Virus Disease (2013-2016) because it did not internationalize itself, fortunately, because it had a mortality rate of some 50 per cent. The policy was the same. Covid-19 has a mortality rate of 3.4 per cent, higher in some areas, much lower in others. But the policy was the same.

So with something that has a mortality rate thirty times higher than the "common flu" strains among us every rainy or winter season, the damage has been done. Ask families in Lombardy, and in a lot of other places. So next time around, hopefully we will have learnt our lesson and as soon as some anomaly is reported, we should impose a strict travel ban into and out of the area, region, country where infections appear. For those who ask questions about the cost to air companies, well look at the air industry now. And while there is money for submarines... I have been saying this for over a decade and by early January was predicting exactly what has happened and no, I do not have any medical expertise in virology. It's called common sense, something which appears to have disappeared with the advent of the digital age.

Because next time around, suppose something like Covid-19 had the mortality rate of MERS (a close cousin), namely 34 per cent?

The second great lesson is that trade in wild animals, parts of wild animals, meat from wild animals, brings with it precisely these risks. Scientific knowledge is still at a very rudimentary stage, we do not know where the virus reservoirs are, we do not know what they hold. Perhaps something far worse than Covid-19 is lurking in the Amazon, in Papua New Guinea, in Africa, beneath the Ocean. Small-scale business interests belonging to interested groups of criminal companies, hiding under the umbrellas of populist idiots in the international community, elected as Presidents, who know nothing but pose as experts, are all dangerous public enemies. Some advocate business as usual, a callous disregard for the lives of hundreds of thousands or millions of elderly citizens, others claim that the virus is a minor illness like a common cold. For many, it is. For others, it is not.

So the world cannot stand back and shrug its shoulders as orang-utangs fall scorched to their deaths in forest fires in Indonesia because someone wants to plant a forest which will deliver palm oil, we cannot stand back as forests in central Africa are felled to provide arable lands or cattle ranches, we cannot stand back as Bolsonaro's government does apparently nothing to stop illegal miners exterminating indigenous people in the Amazon, stealing their lands and plundering the resources. And yes it is happening and yes the main targets are the kids, so they won't grow up!

The third lesson is, does it make sense to massacre indigenous people to steal their lands, does it make sense to look at each other down the barrel of a gun, does it make sense to "hate" any race, colour or creed when all of us are now in the same boat? The answer is no, it never made sense and it doesn't make sense now. As I have been saying for decades, development - yes; deployment of troops, no. Sharing resources, education, multiculturalism, sharing cultures and traditions and languages and religions. Celebrating difference rather than deriding it.

Social effects and the Covid honeymoon

By now families holed up in apartments with six kids creaming up the walls, followed by the dog and the cat, and the canary, will be at breaking point. Mrs. Smith will have discovered that Mr. Smith is a closet "sissy"; Mr. Smith will have discovered that Mrs. Smith's great friend Paula is in fact Paul, the one who gives her that special perfume. Divorce lawyers may be rubbing their hands in glee but families will be facing the consequences of being thrown together suddenly for weeks or more probably, months on end. Until the second week of July at least.

Social space is what the authorities ask for but it is the opposite in the family home. He is wondering how to go about his usual routine, she is checking his cell phone and glowering at his computer screen the second he logs on, all the family crowded around the dining table in a dingy and cramped space.

The choice is to live with daily explosions and the corresponding wear and tear on the relationship or, once again, to use common sense and not violate personal space, which includes the person and the computer screen and the tablet and the cell phone. Leave it alone, it isn't yours. Like, mind your own business. It's called...common sense. Treat this thing like second honeymoon.

Economic effects

The worst case I have heard so far was some bastard of a landlord saying that tenants who do not pay their rent should be summarily evicted and the government should pay for their accommodation in hotels. Hopefully, his tenants will not catch coronavirus Covid-19, will live comfortably in hotels with all expenses paid, including drinks, and the landlord will live in misery without a cent from his rented properties for years to come. Karma is such a bitch.

A lot will depend on common sense, on the patience and intelligence of landlords to cut some slack and write off a proportion of their income, in exchange for some kind of income later on. A lot will depend on banks doing the same with mortgages. In some societies, in some countries, this is already enshrined in law, employers being given incentives not to fire employees, landlords and banks not being allowed to evict those unfortunate enough to be unable to pay their rent/mortgages. In other less civilized countries, it appears that people are looking over their shoulders wondering whether they will end up on the street. Now we see the difference between a State and a state of affairs in which the haves have and the have nots do not have, in fact, any rights. These are not countries, they are a type of modern-day mediaval society in which the concept of mutualism ceases to exist. And these are the countries which like to dictate their values to others.

Obviously, in a social system in which the State controls the means of production, paying for outsourced resources does not happen. The State produces the ventilators, controls the distribution chains, controls the chains of human to human transmission of the virus and in a few weeks, has the thing under control. All the State pays is salaries. Watch the People's Republic of China. Watch Cuba, a giant on the international stage in the area of medical science, which has started mass production of an anti-viral drug in China, an initiative which the Western media is ignoring because it knows the Western governments would far rather millions of people died waiting for their lethargic systems to produce "the drug" and make a mint out of it than admit that two Communist countries are streets ahead of everyone else at the moment.

Ask the families of those on ventilators whether they would prefer their loved ones to survive or to die. Now offer them the treatment produced by Cuba and China. Nah, it won't happen, will it? Sorry your husband died Mrs. Smith, well he was a closet sissy anyway wasn't he? Like he'd have gotten AIDS sooner or later... and your son as well. Oh your daughter too, was it? Ah well never mind we'll keep you safe by investing billions in weapons systems to murder people overseas, bombing Moslems and building nuclear submarines. We also have this plan to subvert society in Venezuela using terrorists.

Conclusions

Common sense. Wash your hands for one minute in hot water and soap, do not touch the points of entry, namely eyes, nose and mouth and broken skin, go out shopping with a mask and avoid any form of human contact, disinfect all surfaces at home with bleach or alcohol over 70 degrees, gargle with hot water and salt, regularly.

Common sense. Create some physical and emotional space at home. Remember that the main objective here is to protect the family/friends/community. Play board games, learn a language, create a white board for kids to make collages and use this as an opportunity to develop your work online through videoconference platforms.

Common sense. It is not the fault of the cleaning lady that she is unable to work. Pay her anyway for the work she has done before. Ditto the people who are out of work because the tourism sector has collapsed. Don't charge them their rent, help them learn English, or Spanish or whatever, to retrain. Don't look at your own navel, Karma is a bitch.

Common sense. Next time around, isolate. From day #1.

Common sense. Globalize knowledge, create a globalized resource of case management, pool resources at a supra-national level. Stop these stupid wars and conflicts and hatred.

Common sense. Do not destroy habitats, do not eat wild animals, do not trade in wild animals. Mother Nature will always be more than a greedy few.

Am I asking too much of humankind? Does anyone have common sense? Is there intelligent life out there? Can someone please step forward with a global policy?

https://ift.tt/2QTBou6

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'US Response to Coronavius Has Been Shocking': Chomsky

2020/03/28

'US Response to Coronavius Has Been Shocking': Chomsky 

Coronavirus is dramatically spreading in the U.S., now the world's epicenter in confirmed cases. Noam Chomsky has spoken exclusively to Edu Montesanti about the tragic Trump regime's response to one of the worst evils in contemporary history. 

"Under neoliberal dogma, its role is to subsidize private power, not to interfere with it," says Chomsky, the world's most renowned analyst, author of innumerable books.

Noam Chomsky is considered ''The Father of Modern Linguistics," a major figure in analytic philosophy, and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science - the most cited person after Bible and Shakespeare.


Edu Montesanti: Professor Doctor Noam Chomsky, I'd love to find words to express my gratitude and deep honor for having you, once again, in my publications. What are your thoughts about the Washington regime's response to the spread of coronavirus?


Noam Chomsky:
 The US response has been shocking. It was known for years that a pandemic was likely.

Why didn't the pharmaceutical industry provide medicines before the spread of the virus?

Drug companies weren't interested in preparing: no profit. 

And Trump never did anything to interfere...

The government can't step in: under neoliberal dogma, its role is to subsidize private power, not to interfere with it. 

Trump made it worse by smashing all the defenses, eliminating the pandemic division, cutting back on medical funding. 

The Trump regime is blaming China for the spread of coronavirus. Your view, please, Professor Doctor Noam Chomsky.

China notified the World Health Organization in early January that unexplained pneumonia cases in Wuhan Province were traced to a new coronavirus and shared its genetic sequence for countries to use in developing specific diagnostic kits.

What was, then, the West's response, especially Washington's?

The West ignored all this, Trump most all, so much so that by now the US is the only major country that cannot even provide data on the spread of the disease because of the abysmal lack of testing.

I can understand, then, that you believe like me, Dr, Chomsky, that the U.S. toll of coronavirus infections is much higher than has been announced.

You're right.

From the Portuguese version of Pravda.Ru

Por Marcello Casal Jr/ABr - https://ift.tt/39jDHwY Alegre, 27/1/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - 3º Fórum Social Mundial - Lingüista norte-americano Noam Chomsky. (Foto: Marcello Casal Jr. - ABr - hor - 66), CC BY 3.0 br, https://ift.tt/3dLB36G

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Why so many Covid-19 deaths in Italy?

2020/03/27

The Russian government initiated a whole range of measures to combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Starting from March 28, all restaurants, bars, motels, children's camps and ski resorts will be closed across Russia. Regional authorities have been advised to ban all public events and close movie theaters.

As of the morning of March 27, the number of officially registered cases of coronavirus infection in Russia exceeded one thousand and reached the mark of 1,036. Three people died, 45 patients recovered from hospitals.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation. He announced a non-working week from March 30 to April 5 with the preservation of wages, noting that this measure should curb the spread of coronavirus in Russia. Russian students have already gone on vacation until April 12, and the country's universities have switched to distance learning.

Meanwhile, Italy still remains the country that suffers from the coronavirus pandemic most. As of March 27, the Covid-19 death toll in Italy amounts to 9,134 people, and the number continues to grow. Official reports take into account only confirmed cases of coronavirus infection. The real number of deaths could be considerably higher.

Why is the epidemic developing so rapidly in Italy and why so many deaths?

According to Giorgio Gori, the mayor of Bergamo, Lombardy, for every person who died from Covid-19, there are three people who died of pneumonia at their homes, and those people had not had any tests. By Thursday, more than 32,000 cases of infection were confirmed in this province. As many as 2,000 new infections and over 400 deaths were recorded there on Monday.

Given that Covid-19 was confirmed in almost 75,000 patients, the real number of infected people in the country could be even higher than in the whole world - the actual number is likely to be close to one million.

Why is the epidemic developing so rapidly? There is no answer to this question yet, but there are several versions that complement each other.

The first case of Covid-19 infection was detected in Italy on February 20 in the city of Codogno, Lombardy. By that time, around 70,000 patients with coronavirus had been reported worldwide with more than 90 percent of them in mainland China.

Just a month later, the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Italy soared to nearly 50,000, more than 4,000 patients died. A team of Italian scientists conducted a study, which showed that by the time the first diagnosis was detected, SARS-CoV-2 had long been present incognito in most cities of Lombardy - that is, undiagnosed. In other words, one sick person could infect three healthy people, to say the least.

The average age of patients is 69 years. Hospitalization was required for almost 50 percent of patients, every fifth of them was later transferred to intensive care.

The authors of the study do not indicate when the outbreak of the new disease began. They only said that it started much earlier than February 20.

Professor of Biology Enrico Bucci of the University of Philadelphia offers a much more accurate chronology.

According to him, SARS-CoV-2 was brought to Italy no later than mid-December.

The professor drew attention to the fact that in the last week of December, in the city of Piacenza, just a few kilometers from Codogno, more than 40 patients were treated for pneumonia at the same time. Even the local media were surprised to report such news.

By the end of February, it was revealed that the patients, who were cured of pneumonia,  developed antibodies to the new coronavirus. This fact confirmed Bucci's suspicions: those people had had Covid-19 even before the World Health Organization coined a name for the new virus.

By the time the epidemic struck Italy, it had been gathering pace unnoticed for more than two months.

It remains unknown when the coronavirus made its way to Italy. Genetic analysis shows that the virus arrived from China.

Quite possibly, the virus first entered other countries at about the same time - in early or mid-December. However, it was in Italy, where the grain of infection took very strong roots in particularly fertile soil.

In recent years, the mortality rate from common seasonal flu in Italy, especially among the elderly people (65+), has been roughly twice the average European rate.

Two reasons for coronavirus rage in Italy

In November last year, a team of Italian doctors calculated that from 2013 to 2017, influenza epidemics in the country claimed nearly 70,000 lives "above normal."

In the winter of 2016-2017, the death rate from influenza in Italy exceeded 40 cases per 100,000 people. For comparison: the average mortality rate from breast or prostate cancer in the world is about ten people per 100,000; for malaria, this indicator is 20; for tuberculosis - 25; HIV/AIDS - 44.

There are several possible explanations for this. First and foremost, it is the average age of the population. A third of the Italian population are elderly individuals and people with weak health. The average age of Covid-19 patients in Italy is 63 years, in Germany - 45 years.

The second possible reason is the increased use of antibiotics in Italy. These drugs have no action against viruses, but contribute to the emergence of resistant infections, which can complicate the condition of seriously ill patients. Statistically, Italians take 1.5 times more antibiotics than other residents of the European Union. Animal farmers in Italy again use twice as many antibiotics for the treatment of their livestock than in the EU on average.

Interestingly, the first case of the novel coronavirus infection was diagnosed in Milan the day after the football match, which was held in the city on February 19. As many as 50,000 people came to the game from Bergamo - most of them arrived by public transport. The first Italian patient with coronavirus was diagnosed the next day.

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COVID-19 scam or just simple corruption in Russia?

2020/03/27

The Moscow Healthcare Department purchased more than 50 devices and hundred of thousands of test systems for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from a company called Medpromresurs. This sounds like good news, if it was not for the dodgy reputation of the company. Thieving businessmen are trying to cash in on the disease that their compatriots suffer from while keeping an eye on the funds from the state budget too. US funded Radio Liberty investigated the Moscow's purchase, that got links to 2019 scandal in Tatarstan.

The story began in September 2019. During the Eastern Economic Forum, which was held last autumn, a little-known Japanese company K.K. Mirai Genomics promised to invest 2.5 billion rubles ($30 million) in the production of a diagnostic system for infectious diseases in the Republic of Tatarstan. The systems were supposed to be subsequently acquired at the expense of mandatory medical insurance - the state budget that is. Russian company PharmMedPolis-RT acted as a partner on the Russian side. Taliya Minullina, the head of the Agency for Investment Development of the Republic, put her signature on the agreement for the production of biochips for the diagnosis of influenza. The story was highlighted by a lot of Russian media for its connection to corruption and money-laundering issues. The chips were allegedly patented in Europe, the USA and Japan (coronavirus was nowhere near back then). Strangely enough, the supposedly patented trademark for the LifeRing molecular diagnostic system that consists of disposable chips is not manufactured in any of the above-mentioned countries. Moreover, as the Versia found out, the company's offices in Japan and the United States are located in cheap Class B office buildings, which does not go along with the promise to invest 2.5 billion, because a company like that simply does not have that much money. 
 
However, methods for rapid diagnosis of influenza are not just being developed in our country - they are already in practical use. Moreover, the time that is required for testing biomaterial is even shorter in comparison with the time period that foreign-made chips need for the same purpose. 

K.K. Mirai Genomics was a very little-known company indeed: it did not even have a website at the time when the deal was signed. Mirai never provided any specifications and descriptions of the technology, nor did it say anything about the results of clinical trials. Such facts did not stop the authorities of Tatarstan, though. 

A few days ago, during a meeting with government members regarding the coronavirus crisis, Vladimir Putin cheerfully announced:
 
"The Russian Direct Investment Fund will finance cooperative developments with Japanese partners in order to launch the production of expresstest systems in April. Potentially, this will be the first portable rapid test in the world."
 
Even though the president did not name the Japanese company, we know that it goes about K.K. Mirai Genomics. The Russian Direct Investment Fund published a press release on its website about the investments made in Medpromresurs "with a partner - K.K. Mirai Genomics." It remains unclear how that could happen. The topic of fraudulent activities was vigorously raised in the Russian media again, although this time it goes about the pandemic and fraudulent operations with coronavirus test systems. 

One of the reasons for such conclusions was the website of K.K. Mirai Genomics. The website was launched shortly before the company became a partner of the largest state-owned RDIF fund, which manages public funds worth more than $10 billion. The website of Japanese company K.K. Mirai Genomics looks like a real scam indeed. Firstly, as Sobesednik journalists found out, the website is registered and hosted in Russia. All photos that can be found on the website of K.K. Mirai Genomics were taken from public photo banks, while the site itself was created with the help of a site-building service. There is no useful information on the site either: one cannot find either a description of technology or clinical studies there - nothing at all. It is just a typical business site in English, poorly written and poorly designed. Nevertheless, it is the website of the company that Vladimir Putin spoke about.

COVID-19 scam or just simple corruption in Russia?. 64028.jpeg

Miraigenomics.com hosting data

Back to the Moscow Health Department. As Radio Liberty journalists found out, the Moscow Health Department, through the mediation of Medpromresurs, entered into a 192-million-ruble deal with Kazan-based company SmartLifeKea (with a registered capital of 10,000 rubles) to supply coronavirus COVID-19 test systems.

Moscow buys tests with a price tag of 1,500 rubles, but the supplier says that he has a contract with the alleged developer of these tests, the Kazan-based company SmartLifeKea. However, this company does not appear on the list of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) of global suppliers of COVID-19 test systems, although Russian developers do appear there (although there is not a single one from Kazan). The list contains information about nearly 200 companies, mainly from China, which today produce much-needed test-systems for diagnostic detection of coronavirus. Their cost varies, but one could simply purchase COVID-19 test systems for Moscow at 3 euros apiece (260 rubles), rather than manufacture them. In other words, the profit from speculative operations could amount to nearly 125 million only for 100,000 kits.

The only founder and director of Smart LifeKea, a company without employees, is Ramil Zainullin, who, for the implementation of the joint project between Eidos-Dnafrom JSC (which he co-owns) and Japanese research institute RIKEN to design new DNA diagnostics apparatus, attracted PharmMedPolis-RT - the company that signed the contrast with  K.K. Mirai Genomics of Japan at the Eastern Economic Forum.

A half of shares of PharmMedPolis-RT LLC, which signed the agreement with the Japanese, belongs to Ramil Khabriev - the former Minister of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan, Deputy Director of the Department for Social Development of the Federal Government. A while back, the head of RUSADA, the Russian anti-doping agency, had had his reputation stained as a result of the doping scandal that barred Russian athletes from the Olympics. Currently, Khabriev heads the National Research Institute of Public Health named after N.A. Semashko.

The other half of the shares of PharmMedPolis-RT belongs to the chairman of the board of directors of the company, Rustem Magdeev, who is suspected of having ties with the organized crime group, called Sevastopols'. His persona attracted a lot of attention in the criminal case of the Kazan-based Design Bureau named after Simonov, as well as in connection with the arrest of its CEO and chief engineer Alexander Gomzin, and a high-profile trial with his former partner Dmitry Tsvetkov at the UK Court of Arbitration in connection with the Cypriot franchise of Graff jewelry boutique.

Rustem Magdeev is a well-known businessman in Tatarstan who has an extremely unsavory reputation. We have reported before about the machinations that he resorted to in order to achieve his goals. This time, Magdeev set his sights on the state medical insurance budget in connection with the pandemic. Apparently, Magdeev has no moral doubts that could tear him apart. An investigation conducted by of Radio Liberty, an organization that is funded by the US State Department, revealed that it was Rustem Magdeev, who masterminded the procurement of coronavirus test systems for Moscow, using affiliated intermediary company Medpromresurs. The Sobesednik newspaper believes that Magdeev acts in the interests of his former boss - Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of Tatarstan. If true, then the scope of the affair deems unprecedented even for Russia, because it is not only regional leader Minnikhanov, who is involved in it, but also the largest state-owned RDIF fund, and even Vladimir Putin himself, who was misinformed about the Japanese technology. Such technology does exist, though. Hundreds of laboratories and pharmaceutical companies around the world already manufacture coronavirus test systems. It is hard to believe, though, that K.K. Mirai Genomics, a company that is literally known for nothing, can have such technology at its disposal. It appears that Mirai Genomics is a boguscompany for Russian businessmen, whose goal is to profit from the Russian healthcare system. Last year, the matter was about diagnostic chips, but it is coronavirus that has been the talk of the town lately. 

Russia already has something to be proud of under the conditions of the pandemic: Russian doctors work in Italy, where the epidemic went out of control. It is especially unpleasant against this background that Russia, in the face of President Vladimir Putin, may find himself involved inan international scandal based on coronavirus test systems fraud and fake companies created for the purpose of profit withdrawal, although that money could be used to contain the pandemic in the midst of such a severe crisis.

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Second wave of coronavirus pandemic is coming despite quarantine

2020/03/26

Draconian measures of control and "Mao Zedong-style social control." This is how many refer to restrictions that Chinese officials imposed to contain the spread of the novel deadly virus in China. They simply locked the nation down and implemented total quarantine nationwide, when  hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens were isolated and taken under surveillance. The World Health admitted that it was China that took most decisive, operational, and aggressive measures  to contain the spread of coronavirus.

It goes without saying that it is not only China that can take such measures, even though China is an authoritarian country. However, the Russian authorities simply prefer to recommend people to stay home and have a non-working week. It can be possible, though, that they know in the Kremlin that taking stringent measures today does not make any sense, because coronavirus is going to come back for a second wave of pandemic. Quite possibly, the deadly virus will come back again and again.

According to experts' estimates, the world will have to implement mass isolation practices periodically, at least in 2020 and 2021. There are all chances for the second wave of the infection to come both in China and in other countries after the first outbreak had affected more than 470,000 people worldwide and claimed more than 21,000 lives by March 25, 2020.

The cause of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus still remains unknown, although it is believed that it started during the third week of November 2019. There is no vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The patients, who were tested positive for the virus, can only count on general supporting therapy and experimental injections of existing drugs. According to most experts, the widespread implementation of the clinically proven and safe vaccine will take from 12 to 18 months.

China managed to suppress the virus owing to aggressive quarantine, strict isolation and invasive surveillance conducted with the use of state-of-the-art technology - big data and artificial intelligence. It was reported that at some point of the epidemic, 760 million Chinese were in home isolation across the nation.

AI facial recognition technology and other tools were used to manage priority groups of the populations. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed dissatisfaction with the measures of the Chinese isolation, arbitrary detention of people and other forms of ill-treatment of human beings in China.

Human rights vs. COVID-19

Authorities of other countries, from France to the Czech Republic and even Italy, tried to find a compromise between the need for control in order to protect their peoples and reluctance to look repressive to others. Totalitarian control is unacceptable in a country, where personal rights and freedoms are protected - Western countries criticize China for this very reason.

A group of researchers from Imperial College London, whose report from March 16 prompted the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States to actively reduce social contacts to combat the pandemic, warned of the vulnerability of the strategy with the use of so-called non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as self-isolation and closure of public places. Such measures have to be maintained permanently or at least periodically until the remedy is found, the researchers said.

Michael T. Osterholm, PhD MPH, author of "Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs," believes that self-isolation measures and mild restrictions against coronavirus look like a fight against the wind. He warned in 2017 that other coronaviruses, such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome), were "harbingers of things to come". As soon as self-isolation ends, people will leave their homes. They will go outside, they will go to work, start traveling again, and the novel coronavirus may return, even in China.

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Reason behind Italy coronavirus catastrophe: Government wasted time

2020/03/26

The Italian Prime Minister under accusation: Covid-19 emergency declaration signed on January 31st but nationally implemented only in March.

It seems that the Italian government wasted a whole month before activating all the necessary anti-Covid19 measure on a national level. The issue was raised in the past days by several Italian newspapers and sites, including "Repubblica".

As a matter of fact, on page 7 and 8 of February 1st's Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana, which is the official journal of the Italian government, it is clearly stated that on Jan 31st 2020 the Minister of Health expressed the necessity to proceed with the declaration of the state of national emergency.

The document, published immediately after the emergency status launched by the World Health Organization, asked for extraordinary measures (on national and international level) to be taken in order to face the epidemic.

As a consequence, the resolution, which was signed by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, declared the emergency status for the duration of 6 months and starting from the date of the signature of the document, on January 31st 2020, which means up until July 31st. However, no serious measures on a national level were taken until March 9th.

A brief timeline shows the sequence of main events:

  1. On February 1st, the declaration of emergency, signed by PM Conte the previous day, is published on the Gazzetta Ufficiale. The previous day, a Chinese couple coming from Wuhan had tested positive to Covid-19 and had been hospitalized in Rome.
  2. Between February 19th and February 20th, some hospitalized patients began to test positive and the epidemic broke out in the Lodi and Padua provinces.
  3. On February 22nd, the government announced a new decree imposing the quarantine of more than 50,000 people from 11 different municipalities in Northern Italy. The quarantine zones are called the Red Zones and the areas in Lombardy and Veneto outside of them are called the Yellow Zones.
  4. On February 26th, Director of the Italian National Institute of Health Franco Locatelli announced that Covid-19 tests would only be performed on symptomatic patients, as 95% of previous tests were negative.
  5. On February 27th, schools in different regions of Italy began to close down, according to decisions of local governors.
  6. On March 1st, the Government approved a decree to organize the containment of the outbreak. In the decree, the Italian national territory was divided into three area: a red zone (which included the areas where the epidemic broke out and where the whole population was in quarantine); a yellow zone (Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Veneto) where all social and sport events were suspended and schools, theatres, clubs and cinemas shut down; the rest of the Italian territory, where preventive safety measures were advised and performed.
  7. On March 4th, the Italian government imposed the shutdown of all schools and universities nationwide for two weeks as the country reached 100 deaths from the outbreak.
  8. On March 7th, the Italian government approved a decree to lock down Lombardy and 14 other provinces in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Marche, involving more than 16 million people.
  9. On March 9th, Prime Minister Conte announced that the whole Country was placed on lockdown.

It is yet unclear why Conte's government waited so long to implement nation wide measures despite the fact that the emergency declaration had already been signed on January 31st and with the perspective of a six-month period.

As a matter of fact, throughout February, several left-wing politicians had spoken against proposals by Lombardy and Veneto's presidents to close borders and take tight measures, defining them "racist" and inviting people to hug Chinese people and to eat at Chinese restaurants. Among them, Milan's mayor Beppe Sala, Florence mayor Dario Nardella, Tuscany's president Enrico Rossi.

Milan's Partito Democratico (PD) had even launched the initiative "Milan doesn't stop", encouraging social life, with PD's leader, Nicola Zingaretti, taking part in the event and defining Covid-19 "a simple flu". Zingaretti later tested positive for Covid-19 and was placed on quarantine.

Lawyer Guido Magnisi, from Bologna's court, raised the question:

"Why no maximum emphasis was given to a state of emergency that was not only expected and recognized on an international level, but also declared (by the Italian government (since January 31st and with a duration of six months?"

Magnisi then points out how this lack of proper emergency management now forces Italy to chase the virus with draconian measures.

Italy now counts 7,503 deaths due to Covid-10 with 74,386 infections, and many citizens are pondering if such a war-like death toll could have been prevented by immediately implementing the state of emergency, as declared on January 31st by the Italian government. It is yet unclear why the authorities waited so long to act, while some political exponents were even encouraging people to go out and socialize.

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Russia grounds all airplanes, Moscow takes unprecedented measures

2020/03/26

The Russian government instructed the Federal Air Transport Agency to stop regular and charter flights to and from airports of all foreign countries. The exception was made only for the flights that need to be conducted to return Russian tourists staying in foreign countries back home. The flights required to execute specific decisions made by the government will be preserved as well.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was instructed to distribute the lists of Russian citizens, who plan to return to their homeland no later than March 27th. The Foreign Affairs Ministry will need to send such lists to the Ministry of Transport, Rospotrebnadzor, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Aeroflot. Special aircraft of Rossiya Airline, aircraft of the Ministry of Defense, Aeroflot and other airlines will also take part in operations to evacuate Russian tourists.

The citizens of the Russian Federation who are unable to return home due to coronavirus  restrictions that were introduced in their countries of their temporary residence will be provided with assistance to extend their accommodation permits and visa documents until their return to Russia.

Starting from March 26, all citizens arriving from coronavirus-affected countries will be tested for coronavirus. Upon arrival, they must stay home for 14 days in isolation. Information about the isolated individuals will be sent to local polyclinics.

From March 27, the heads of the federal executive bodies were instructed to switch as many employees as possible to remote work. Regional authorities should temporarily suspend:

  • recreational,
  • entertainment,
  • cultural,
  • sports,
  • exhibition,
  • educational,
  • advertising

and other events with the participation of people, including in parks, shopping centers and other places of mass congregation of people.

Regional authorities are required to temporarily restrict citizens from visiting nightclubs, disco bars, cinemas, children's playrooms and children's entertainment centers, other entertainment and leisure facilities. Smoking hookahs in restaurants, bars, cafes and other public places will be banned too.

Moscow closes all public places

The Office of the Moscow Mayor published a list of additional restrictions that will be introduced in the capital during the non-working week, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in his special address to the nation on March 25.

"The restrictions introduced today are unprecedented in the modern history of Moscow and will create many inconveniences for the daily life of every person. But, believe me, they are absolutely necessary in order to slow down the spread of coronavirus infection and reduce the number of cases," the mayor wrote on his blog.

From March 28 to April 5, restaurants, cafes, bars, canteens and other public catering institutions in Moscow will be closed. Restaurants and cafes will only operate for takeaway orders.

The work of retail facilities will be temporarily suspended, except for pharmacies and grocery stores. All major Moscow parks and entertainment facilities will be closed:

  • VDNH,
  • Gorky Park,
  • Tsaritsyno
  • Kolomenskoye,
  • Zaryadye,
  • Sokolniki,
  • Kuskovo.

The provision of services requiring personal presence (for example, hairdressing salons) should be suspended as well. Exceptions will be made for medical, rehabilitation services, care services for the elderly, other handicapped people, transport, banking and insurance services, housing and communal services, funeral services.

No restrictions are imposed on the remote provision of services or by courier delivery.

"Understanding the feelings of believing Muscovites, I highly recommend and ask you to refrain from visiting religious sites these days," Moscow Mayor Sobyanin wrote. People over 65 years old with chronic diseases, as well as students and schoolchildren, will not be able to use the right of free public transportation to restrict travel.

Tourists asked not to come to Moscow

Sobyanin also appealed to residents of other regions of Russia, urging them not to come to Moscow not to put themselves at extra risk. Speaking about the president's decision to impose a non-working week in the country instead of quarantine, the mayor said: "This is not a holiday. We are taking serious measures in an effort to prevent COVID-19."

Over the last 24 hours, 182 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection were registered in 18 regions of Russia. According to the Rospotrebnadzor website, Moscow still holds the lead, where 136 cases of the disease were registered so far.

Cases of the novel virus were reported in the Sverdlovsk region, in the Perm Territory and St. Petersburg, in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). In the Stavropol and Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Republic of Tatarstan, the Chelyabinsk Region, in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, the Republic of Buryatia, Pskov and Samara Regions, in the Republic of Khakassia, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Tomsk regions, the Khabarovsk Territory.

According to epidemiological observations, all infected citizens have visited coronavirus-affected countries in the last two weeks. In total, 840 cases of coronavirus infection in 56 regions are currently registered in Russia. Nine people were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours.

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Coronavirus makes Putin address the nation: A lot is going to change

2020/03/25

On Wednesday, March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised address to the nation in connection with the situation with the spread of the coronavirus infection in the country. Many in Russia were expecting the president to make such an address assuming that the measures that the Russian authorities currently take are not enough to prevent the development of either the Italian of the Spanish scenario of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

It is regional authorities decide which restrictions to impose on their territories. Travelling between regions of Russia still remains unobstructed, there is no mandatory testing for coronavirus, etc. On March 24, Putin held a special meeting in the Kremlin, where officials explained to him that the dynamics of the development of coronavirus in Russia was high.

"We can see how fast the crisis is developing in other countries, the number of cases is growing in many countries. The virus has affected the world economy. However, the measures that have been taken so far help Russia contain the epidemic. At the same time, it's impossible to completely block the penetration of coronavirus into our country," the president said.

"I urge all citizens of the country: let's not rely on blind faith of sheer luck, as many in Russia do. Please don't think that this is not going to affect you in person, because this can affect anyone. If it happens, then everything that happens today in many Western countries, both in Europe and overseas, can become our reality tomorrow," Putin said.

"I want to address doctors, nurses, paramedics, ER services - you are in the forefront of the fight," Putin said, asking citizens to follow all recommendations from doctors.

"Our task is to ensure the health of citizens, therefore, the voting on the amendments to the Constitution will be postponed for a later date," Putin added.

"I declare the next week a non-working one," Putin said, noting that salaries should be completely preserved for all employees. "We are doing this to protect citizens and reduce the number of those who can become infected. The safest thing that we can do now is stay home."

All social benefits to citizens will be renewed automatically during the next six months, without the need for any confirmations and certifications.

Every Russian family that is entitled to maternity capital, will receive 5,000 rubles for each child up to 3 years of age in the next three months.

  • The sick leave payment will be calculated on the basis of at least one minimum wage.
  • Unemployment allowance will be raised from 8,000 to 12,000 rubles.
  • Putin announced holidays for consumer and mortgage loans without any penalties.

He appealed to the Central Bank ща the Russian Federation with a request to provide a mechanism to prolong loans for individual entrepreneurs in industries affected by the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, March 25, it became known that the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection rose sharply in Russia: from 495 to 658. New cases were reported in 20 regions of Russia, with most of them in Moscow (120 and 410 in total).

Moscow lockdown

Due to the increase in the number of coronavirus infected individuals in Moscow, the Moscow Mayor's Office imposes additional restrictions in the Russian capital starting from March 26:

  • city libraries will be temporarily closed,
  • culture and leisure institutions will be closed,
  • nightclubs, discos and other similar facilities will be closed,
  • cinemas, movie theaters are closing,
  • children's entertainment centers and game rooms will be closed,
  • all entertainment facilities in shopping centers will be closed,
  • fitness clubs, bowling alleys, skating rinks, billiards, attractions, water parks, etc. will be closed,
  • all leisure facilities are closed,
  • any cultural, entertaining, sports and physical, entertaining, educational, exhibition, advertising and other events are suspended,
  • smoking hookahs in restaurants, bars, cafes and other similar facilities will be banned.
  • all elderly and chronically ill Muscovites (about 1.9 million people in total) are prescribed to stay in self-isolation till April 14,
  • to prevent unnecessarily travel around Moscow, free travel in public transport is suspended for schoolchildren, students and people over 65.

Stores, banks and consumer services will continue working.

Dental offices will provide only emergency care services.

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SDI Group owner Ilgar Hajiyev runs away from debts and prison

2020/03/25

Ilgar Hajiyev, a developer of Accord Smart residential complex, accused of numerous crimes, including real estate scam, is facing another criminal case in Russia. Defrauded homebuyers are collecting signatures for a petition in their defense. These people, who paid their money for apartments in the Moscow region, Odintsovo сity district, but never received keys to their new homes, demand Hajiyev should be delivered to Russia to stand trial for fraud. Only 4 apartment buildings out of 12 that should have been commissioned in 2020 are built - with many violations.

"Numerous violations were committed during the construction: façades are falling off, walls and decoration of public areas are crumbling, cardboard doors are already broken," the petition reads.

The billion worth scam

Hajiyev fled overseas with investors' money in January 2019. It was not only clients, but also business partners, whom Hajiyev scammed, including creditors of SDI Group. Apart from Accord Smart housing complex, subsidiaries of SDI Group were also developers of the Pirogovskaya Riviera residential complex in Mytishchi, the Moscow Region. The complex is being finished by another developer.

Hajiyev started building the Pirogovskaya Riviera complex together with businessman Isai Zakharyaev, who later left the project, but never received money for his share. The head of SDI Group owes more than one billion rubles to the former partner. Another one billion Hajiyev siphoned off from the project developer Comfort Invest.

According to Zakharyaev, an independent audit revealed that the funds had been withdrawn during the period from the end of 2017 until January 2019. The results of audit were later transferred to law enforcement and public security agencies.

It was also revealed that Ilgar Hajiyev registered 360 apartments of the Pirogovskaya Riviera residential complex on his name, as well as to his affiliates:

  • 70 apartments were registered on Ekaterina Khavaeva name, a former official of the Moscow City Government, who was reportedly Hajiyev's mistress;
  • another 50 apartments on Zia Gaziev name, the owner of Alcon Development GmbH.

Gaziev's company, which is registered in Germany, is presented by Hajiyev as foreign partner to SDI Group. In fact, this company is affiliated with him and founded by his fellow countryman - a citizen of Azerbaijan.

The Investigative Department of regional office (Western District of Moscow) of Ministry of Interior opened a case of criminal misappropriation of apartments in December 2019 and is taking legal actions under articles "Fraud" and "Preparation for a crime and attempted crime" of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The company Comfort Invest is reported as affected party. The case aimed to deliver the property back to cheated investors is reviewed currently at the Presnensky District Court of Moscow. Other fraudulent schemes that were invented by Hajiyev to withdraw money from the Pirogovskaya Riviera project are also subjects of multiple court trials.

Criminal group leader

In their petition, defrauded homebuyers of Accord Smart residential complex also pay attention to Ilgar Hajiyev's monkey business. In particular, interior finishing and decoration cost of the apartments are imposed by force in cost-sharing (co-investments) agreements. Total debts of the owner of the SDI Group amount to more than three billion rubles, the petition says.

LLC Accord Spetsstroy was added to national black list of suppliers, following the prosecutor's investigation, and it already owes 277 million rubles. This company constructed a building for sports dance school on the territory of VDNH and didn't pay to its suppliers. Last spring, the Investigative Department of regional office (Western District of Moscow) of Ministry of Interior opened a criminal case regarding asset misappropriation with estimated evaluation of 350 million rubles. In addition, the head of Accord Spetsstroy was prosecuted for non-payment of salaries: the case was initiated in late October 2019 by the Dorogomilovsky Inter-district investigative department of the regional office (Western district of Moscow) of Investigative Committee of Russia. Earlier, another case was opened for same reasons against the CEO of another Hajiyev's company - Plus Project. Five prosecution investigations are currently carried out in relation to another company of the businessman - LLC SDI (currently LLC Specialized Developer SDI). The claims amount to more than 1.17 billion rubles.

Another accusation made Ilgar Hajiyev non grata person in his homeland - at least one criminal case is waiting him in Azerbaijan.

The Main Directorate for Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan suspects Hajiyev of committing a crime under Art. 178.3.2 of the Criminal Code of the republic. Investigators revealed that the owner of SDI Group, have committed fraudulent acts and misappropriated $10 million from 2016 to 2017 - money which he had borrowed from one of his business partners.

Hajiyev allegedly used those funds for the construction of the Pirogovskaya Riviera and Accord Smart residential complexes, but in fact he simply transferred the money to his foreign accounts, possibly in Switzerland, where he had moved his family a long time in advance.

If the businessman comes to Russia, he will be arrested. Last spring, the inquiry department of Ministry of Interior in Dorogomilovo district opened a criminal case related to intentional infliction of bodily harm: Zamir Indreyev, partner and subcontractor of SDI Group - was brutally beaten in the basement of Accord Spetsstroy office, a company owned by Hajiyev. Hajiyev was put on the federal wanted list.

A trusted developer

Back in 2017, the potential buyers of apartments at Accord Smart residential complex didn't think the developer was trustworthy.

"Different suppliers are suing LLC SDI. All cases are about delays in payments for goods or services," they posted on various discussion boards.

Today investors are angry: "This is nothing but scam!", "They are crooks!", "I recommend avoiding any projects related to brands SDI and Accord."

Ilgar Hajiyev's fraud schemes have finally attracted the attention of law enforcement and supervisory authorities. If not, he would most likely continue robbing people, getting more loans, withdrawing assets abroad, and leaving his debts to his companies.

Today, the crisis with investors of his real estate projects may escalate into a social explosion. By not fulfilling their obligations, his companies have cheated investors of the apartments - simple citizens, but also the state: infrastructure facilities - kindergartens, schools, roads - are not built. The courts continue dealing with an avalanche of lawsuits from banks, investors and suppliers against the companies of the owner of SDI Group, as well as against him in person. Many court decisions have been made, but the businessman, obviously, does not care about the problems of a foreign state and of the people, whom he had literally robbed.

He is "developing" a new project: Hajiyev, who is accused of numerous criminal offenses, a fraudster, a businessman with gangster habits, has now turned into a victim and a fighter against hostile takeovers. However, the real goal of this "performance" is to avoid the Interpol list and have an opportunity to continue robbing gullible citizens.

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Covid-19 death wave comes to Spain

2020/03/24

The COVID-19 epidemic is spreading faster in Spain than it is in Italy. Unlike in Italy, where 80% of infected patients die in the three most epidemiologically problematic regions (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto), the infection is actively spreading to autonomous communities in Spain, where it had not been detected before - in Catalonia, Castile and Leon, Castile la Mancha, Valencia and other regions.

On March 23, coronavirus killed 462 people in Spain. Over the next day, from Monday to Tuesday, another 514 died, which marked the largest number of deaths since the beginning of the epidemic in the country.

As of March 24, the number of patients, who were tested positive for COVID-19 infection in Spain reached 39,673 people, of whom 2,696 died. About 30,000 patients remain under medical supervision.

Covid-19 in Spain: Epicenter - Madrid

The authorities of Spain, where people over 65 years of age account for 18 percent of the population, declared a state of emergency on March 14. It will last at least until April 11th. All of Spain is quarantined, people are allowed to leave their homes only for urgent reasons. The epicenter of the epidemic is the autonomous community of Madrid, the center of which is the capital of the country. Up to 80 percent of residents may contract coronavirus there, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the head of the government of the autonomous community of Madrid said.

Military men of the Spanish Armed Forces, who take part in operations to transport the bodies of the deceased and disinfect buildings, with ever increasing frequency find dead bodies of deceased elderly people in their apartments and nursing homes.

According to Defense Minister Margarita Robles, soldiers often come across bodies of abandoned elderly people who died in their beds.

The situation in many nursing homes in Madrid is critical. Personnel leave dead bodies untouched in their beads and wait for special services to arrive to pick them up. To make matters worse, many employees of nursing homes are either infected or remain in self-isolation.

Sixty percent of all critical patients in Spain reside in Madrid. Intensive care units are crammed with patients, many people are lying on the floor. Like in Italy, Spanish doctors give preference to those who have bigger chances to recover - younger individuals and those with fewer chronic diseases.

Spanish Healthcare Ministry ordered not to provide artificial respiration units to elderly coronavirus-infected patients, as their chances of recovery are minimal. Hospitals outside rarely have respiratory medical devices.

Sixty-eight percent of patients admitted to intensive care units are over 60 years of age. Of these, at least 25% die, Noticia website reports.

Exhibition complex as hospital, ice palace as morgue

Madrid's largest exhibition complex IFEMA has become Europe's largest field hospital. All its pavilions have been redesigned to accommodate COVID-19 patients. The complex can now accept 5,500 patients.

The exhibition complex became the country's largest intensive care unit - for 500 people. The complex is spacious indeed, which makes it possible to keep sufficient distance between the beds, which is important during a pandemic.

Forty hotels in Madrid now operate as hospitals. For example, the Gran Hotel Colon in Madrid provided 365 of its rooms to be used as hospital wards to help metropolitan hospitals to cope with the crisis

Madrid's Ice Palace now operates as a morgue, where they bring the bodies of the deceased. Bodies will be stored on ice rink until funeral services handle them.

Funeral service of Spain are not prepared for the pandemic. They have neither personal protective equipment (PPE), nor protective suits. Yet, Spanish funeral homes work as usual, dealing only with the bodies of those who died for reasons other than Covid-19.

Spanish healthcare system expected to collapse

Spanish epidemiologists, molecular biologists and other famous scientists - 69 specialists in total - wrote an open letter to the Spanish government on Saturday, March 21, urging the authorities for even tougher restrictions on the freedom of movement in the country. Otherwise, the Spanish health system will collapse on March 25, they wrote.

Spain implemented the state of emergency on March 14 - residents of the 47-million-strong country were ordered to leave their homes only in exceptional cases - to buy groceries, visit pharmacies, hospitals or to go to work. Violators face serious fines or even imprisonment.

  • In Italy, the coronavirus infection has killed 743 people in the last 24 hours.
  • As of March 24, a total of 409,000 cases of the disease were confirmed in the world.
  • Covid-19 has claimed 18,200 lives so far.

In Russia, another 57 cases of the coronavirus infection were reported in Russia. All new patients have visited epidemiologically troubled countries in the last two weeks. The total number of patients with COVID-19 in Russia has thus reached 495.

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Moscow pensioners older than 65 ordered to stay home

2020/03/23

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has tightened requirements to comply with the regime of high alert in connection with the spread of the novel coronavirus. New restrictions were introduced for individuals over 65 of age, as well as for people with chronic diseases, as well as for families with children.

"The novel coronavirus primarily poses a threat to life and health of the elderly and people with chronic diseases, for people with low immunity. Therefore, our main task is to protect you, Muscovites of older generation," Sobyanin wrote on his blog.

He noted that many senior citizens do not comply with recommendations of the authorities not to leave home and to limit contacts with other people, even though such activities pose a great risk to their lives.

In this regard, from March 26 to April 14, Muscovites suffering from chronic diseases, and all older people over 65 of age are required to stay home and go out only in case of urgent needs. Yet, this requirement does not apply to the president of the Russian Federation, who is now 67 years old, the Kremlin said.

The mayor also asked elderly and chronically ill people not to visit any public places. It is allowed to go out to grocery stores or pharmacies only when needed.

Here is the complete list of diseases, with which it is forbidden to leave home:

  • insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus;
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
  • asthma;
  • bronchiectatic disease;
  • circulatory system disease - pulmonary heart and pulmonary circulation disorders;
  • the presence of transplanted organs and tissues;
  • chronic kidney disease stage 3-5;
  • malignant neoplasms of any localization;
  • suffered a heart attack or stroke;
  • acute leukemia, high-grade lymphomas, relapses and resistant forms of other lymphoproliferative diseases, chronic myelogenous leukemia in the phases of chronic acceleration and blast crisis, primary chronic leukemia and lymphomas.

Visiting medical facilities for treatment of the above-mentioned diseases will not be considered a quarantine violation. The self-isolation regime does not apply to patients assigned to the third clinical group (oncology).

Over the last 24 hours, 71 new cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Russia, all of them - in Moscow. Thus, the number of coronavirus-positive patients in Russia has amounted to 438.

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