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The residence is just outside Moscow and the tunnel was made by a Penza based company. A demonstration broadcast by state news agency RIA showed masked people passing through a tunnel being sprayed from the ceiling and from the sides. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said: “Spraying of individuals with disinfectants (such as in a tunnel, cabinet, or chamber) is not recommended under any circumstances.

“This practice could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread the virus through droplets or contact.

“Even if someone who is infected with COVID-19 goes through a disinfection tunnel or chamber, as soon as they start speaking, coughing or sneezing they can still spread the virus.”

They add: “The toxic effect of spraying with chemicals such as chlorine on individuals can lead to eye and skin irritation, bronchospasm due to inhalation, and potentially gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and vomiting.

“In addition to health safety concerns, the use of chlorine in large-scale spraying practices may prevent this resource from being used for important interventions such as drinking water treatment and environmental disinfection of health care facilities.”

RIA described the chemicals as a fine cloud of liquid that covered people’s clothes and upper body.

Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s Press Secretary said anyone meeting the Russian President in person will need to be tested in person.

Mr Peskov himself tested positive in May.

Russia has confirmed over 545,000 cases of the virus.

This high figure is attributed to mass testing.

At the time of writing, the death figure is 7,284.

Mr Putin has told state TV that Moscow is handling the coronavirus better than the United States.

He said: “We are working rather smoothly and emerging from this situation with the coronavirus confidently and, with minimal losses.

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“But in the States that is not happening.

“I can’t imagine someone in the (Russian) government or regions saying we are not going to do what the government or president say.

“It seems to me that the problem (in the United States) is that group, in this case party interests, are put above those of society’s as a whole, above the interests of the people.”

He argued: “The president says we need to do such-and-such but the governors somewhere tell him where to go.”

The interview is understood to be Mr Putin’s first since the pandemic began, but is unclear when it was recorded.

Coronavirus has been compared to the SARS outbreak of 2002 to 2004.

There were just over 8,000 cases with 774 confirmed deaths.

Despite deaths in Mainland China, which borders Russia, only 1 case was recorded in Russia with no fatalities.

Mr Putin was also President during this outbreak.

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