Speaking at a special briefing to address the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein stressed, "This isn't just flu - this is coronavirus. It's dangerous to be a populist right now. I'm not willing to engage with people who say, 'What are you causing all this panic for? So what if a few old people die.'
"Anyone saying such a thing should imagine to himself that it's his own grandfather or grandmother he's talking about," he stated.