The government will allocate 2 billion rubles from its reserve fund to combat the spread of COVID-19 and other infections. The corresponding order was signed by Mikhail Mishustin, the head of the Russian Cabinet of Ministers.
Part of the funds will be used for the creation of PCR centers. They will open in major cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, and Samara. A total of 223 million rubles will be spent for these purposes.
Funding will also be provided for the creation of four laboratories for R&D in biochemistry, infections diagnostics, pathogens monitoring and identification. In addition, the signed order provides for measures to study the mutations of COVID-19 and other new infections, providing hygiene and epidemiology centers with special equipment, reinforcing the capacity of sanitary control units at border checkpoints.
As Mikhail Mishustin noted at a government meeting on September 3, such steps are necessary in order to create a reliable “sanitary shield” for the country and protect citizens from the spread of infections.
