President Vladimir Putin has said the coronavirus pandemic has not fundamentally changed life in Russia. "Online education, telehealth and other online services – we had it all even before the pandemic. The coronavirus simply prompted the development of these spheres", Putin said in an interview with the Rossiya 1 television channel that was recorded in June.
The president noted that Russian Internet companies were well prepared for the pandemic. "The traffic increased by 80 percent, but they coped with this increase. Everything worked without a hitch and they are able to deal with even more traffic", Putin explained.
The president stressed that the acquired experience will be used in the future and online services will develop and continue to work effectively.
"In this regard the pandemic has partially changed our lives, but we haven’t seen drastic changes. Things will gradually go back to normal", the Russian president said.
Previously, Vladimir Putin warned the Russian public that the coronavirus outbreak has not gone away and urged citizens to be vigilant and observe safety measures introduced to curb the spread of the disease. The Russian head of state expressed hope that there won’t be a second wave in the country and that doctors would be able to cope with an increase in infections. The president said that that in eight of Russia's regions, 25 percent of the population have gained herd immunity against COVID-19.
