Anyone who violates their coronavirus quarantine and infects others should be punished with death, the leader of Russia’s republic of Chechnya said Tuesday.
Ramzan Kadyrov made the statement at a Chechen government meeting after the majority Muslim republic confirmed its first three coronavirus infections. He pointed to a Chechen resident who returned from a visit to Mecca and didn’t comply with quarantine.
“If you ask me, anyone who creates this problem for himself should be killed. Not only does he get sick, [but he also infects] his family, his sisters, brothers, neighbors,” the regional Caucasian Knot news agency quoted Kadyrov as saying.
He added that people who spread fake information about the coronavirus should be punished with community service.
Also on Tuesday, Kadyrov ordered all restaurants, cafes and “crowded places” in Chechnya to close in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
Earlier this month, Kadyrov dismissed worries about the coronavirus, advising people to drink water with lemon and honey to strengthen their immune systems and to eat garlic for “pure blood.”