According to reports, the photo of Putin in a hazmat suit and breathing mask was captured during a visit to a hospital housing coronavirus patients in Moscow on Tuesday.
Video aired on Russian media showed Putin being helped into the yellow suit by doctors at the Kommunarka infectious diseases hospital, which has been designated to treat coronavirus cases and where there are currently over 400 patients being treated for the illness.
The photo-op, which state television described as “spontaneous,” came as Russian authorities acknowledged that the real number of novel coronavirus cases in Russia is likely significantly higher than the official figure.
However, the interest of many people on Twitter on Saturday was that Putin was not taking anything for granted as he was captured in the same hazmat suit during a meeting with some officials.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK