Putin enters self-isolation after exposure

Russian President Vladimir Putin entered self-isolation after people in his inner circle became infected with the coronavirus, the Kremlin said Tuesday, adding that the leader himself tested negative. Putin, 68, who is fully vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V, held several public engagements indoors Monday where he said that he may have to quarantine soon.

“Even around me, there are problems with this COVID thing,” he said in an informal conversation with Paralympic athletes at an event at the Kremlin that was broadcast by state media. “I think I might have to quarantine soon, myself.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t say when Putin began self-isolating, when he tested negative, how long he would remain in self-isolation or who among the president’s contacts was infected.

Russian authorities have been regularly criticized for underplaying the pandemic and for rarely imposing measures to control it even in the face of infection surges. Russia’s death toll is currently running at its highest level of the pandemic, with just under 800 fatalities a day. Nevertheless, hardly any virus restrictions are currently in place.