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From Putin to Bismarck, an Autocrat's Fear of Germs

Jamie Dettmer

   Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, is taking far more stringent
   precautions than most of his global counterparts to prevent getting the
   coronavirus.

   Kremlin spokesmen Dmitry Peskov this week confirmed that anyone wanting
   to see the Russian president has to walk through a futuristic
   "disinfection tunnel," where they're sprayed with an aerosol mist. In
   April, it was confirmed that anyone wanting to see Putin has to undergo
   a test for the virus beforehand.

   The chamber, manufactured by a company in the Russian town of Penza,
   was installed in Putin's country dacha in the town of Novo-Ogaryovo,
   west of Moscow, where the Russian leader retreated virtually full time
   after some of his officials tested positive for the coronavirus,
   including'¯Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Peskov. Putin made a
   brief public appearance last week -- the first in weeks.

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