Russias Putin to self-isolate due to COVID-19 cases among inner circle

Russian President Vladimir Putin will self-isolate for a period because of possible exposure to the coronavirus even though he‘s tested negative for COVID-19 so far, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

The presidential office did not say how long Mr. Putin will be in seclusion, though the situation will rearrange his schedule.

He will attend meetings this week of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Tajikistan and a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting by videoconference instead of in person.

“Vladimir Putin said that in connection with the identified cases of coronavirus in his environment, he must observe the self-isolation regime for a certain period of time,” the Kremlin said in a readout of a call Mr. Putin had with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

Mr. Putin, who reported he received two doses of his country’s Sputnik V vaccine this year, says Russia handled the COVID-19 pandemic better than Western countries.

But some experts have questioned Russia‘s stat-keeping and whether the nation has done enough to wrangle the delta variant.

It has consistently reported 800 COVID-19 deaths per day since late July.

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