MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Some 10,000 Russians abroad who need financial assistance have been granted it, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Wednesday.”There have been nearly 50,000 applications [for financial assistance]. They are being studied. Many, I reckon, some 10,000, have been granted aid,” she said.Zakharova recalled that those who have not received financial assistance outside Russia would be able to get it when they were back home.The Russian government has earmarked 500 million rubles ($6.8 million) for assistance to Russians who are unable to return home due to coronavirus restrictions. The Foreign Ministry issued instructions to arrange for spending the money appropriately and to present a report to the government by February 1, 2021.On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 3,100,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 218,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 959,700 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.To date, a total of 99,399 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 10,286 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 972 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.
