Here’s Russia’s plan for facing the coronavirus crisis and preventing new infections, point by point

On March 16, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced his cabinet’s plans for battling the global pandemic of COVID-19. The proposal is scheduled to be revealed in full on March 18, but media sources like Vedomosti and Kommersant have already uncovered a number of the measures it contains. The federal executive branch has now confirmed some of those steps, particularly those related to business and the economy.

The cabinet’s proposals so far

• Allocate 300 billion rubles ($4.06 billion as of March 16) to support Russian citizens and the Russian economy;
• Compensate quarantined citizens for lost income using employer records or doctors’ notes;
• Set aside funds in the federal budget for unemployment payments;
• Pay pensions and other benefits in advance;
• Limit or ban events with more than 1,000 attendees throughout Russia, including international athletic events;
• Extend school vacations or make school attendance voluntary;
• Allow delivery options for over-the-counter medicines purchased online;
• Create a prize fund for standout doctors fighting the virus;
• Provide for increased coronavirus test production;
• Create an online alert system for coronavirus updates;
• Guarantee personal protection funds for individuals;
• Cancel duties on imported medications and medical supplies;
• Establish a ‘tax holiday’ for businesses, including tour agencies and airlines;
• Give small and mid-sized businesses a one-quarter extension on paying their taxes;
• Temporarily halt audits of small and mid-sized businesses;
• Give state corporations an extension on paying out dividends;
• Add the coronavirus to the list of acceptable force majeure circumstances on government contracts;
• Allocate government credits to regions that meet their economic development goals;
• Cancel limits on transportation for chain markets in Russian cities;
• Guarantee systemically vital companies credit for their current work and any recursive tasks.