‘Don’t be in a rush to die, you’ll die anyway': Chechen leader Kadyrov urges public to stop panicking over coronavirus

With hysteria over the coronavirus on the rise, Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov has urged his people to keep calm, not to shun traditional medicine, and worry less about what is beyond their control – after all, everyone is mortal.

Kadyrov, the long-time head of his majority Muslim Republic, has offered his take on today's biggest issue – the coronavirus pandemic. 

Arguing that the fears over the disease that manifests itself with flu-like symptoms have been blown out of proportion, Kadyrov called on the public to come to their senses and stop overthinking the problem.

“People lose sleep because a disease appeared in China: the virus," Kadyrov said, addressing a local government meeting on Saturday. "They are afraid that it comes [to them] and they’ll die. Don’t be in a rush, you’ll die anyway. Don’t try to die before your time."

The Chechen leader noted that while the rapid spread of Covid-19 has been the talk of the town, other diseases like the ordinary flu keep claiming thousands of lives every year.

As with pretty much every other serious illness, “those who are in sound health will overcome it [coronavirus], those who are not, won’t manage to,” Kadyrov said, while recommending that all those anxious about their health work on strengthening their immune system using traditional means.

“Mix lemon with honey and water and drink – then the virus won’t get you. Eat your garlic,” he noted. 

Chechnya, which has a population of over 1.3 million, has yet to report its first case of the virus, which has infected at least 59 people across Russia, most of them – 25 – in its capital, Moscow. Six of the patients have since recovered, and there have been no deaths from Covid-19 in the country.

In line with nationwide guidelines aimed at stopping the spread of the disease within Russia’s borders, Kadyrov earlier called on Chechens to stay away from public events and to avoid foreign travel, as the epicenter of the coronavirus has shifted to Western Europe, where the daily numbers of infected have topped those in China.

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