Instagram users criticize Djambulat Umarov for his statement about coronavirus

Djambulat Umarov, Chechen Minister for National Policy, is not competent enough to judge the danger of the spread of coronavirus in Northern Caucasus, users of Instagram note. Some local residents negatively perceive the Djambulat Umarov's appeal to tourists with a call to visit Chechnya.

Djambulat Umarov, Chechen Minister for National Policy, called on Russian citizens to rest in the Caucasus, where, according to him, the coronavirus cannot spread.

"You will find no better place to rest than the Caucasus and, in particular, the Chechen Republic. Come to our place! The coronavirus will never take root in Northern Caucasus and Chechnya. <...> No virus can survive here," declared Djambulat Umarov as quoted by the "Moscow Talking" Radio Station on its website on February 29.

Some Instagram users who identified themselves as residents of Chechnya sharply opposed calls to attract tourists to the republic. "There are a lot of immigrants in the Caucasus, and we don't want new ones coming to our place!" user goryanka_0095 expressed her indignation.

Many Instagram users criticized the Djambulat Umarov's statement concerning the impossibility of coronavirus spreading in Northern Caucasus.

"It is obvious that Djambulat Umarov acts like a comedian. The history remembers how the population of the Caucasus suffered from typhoid, smallpox, measles, and other infections. On the contrary, we have a high population density. The Caucasus is like a communal apartment: if the trouble came to the neighbour's house, then it will come to other people's houses," wrote user lidiya4329.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 3, 2019 at 01:26 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.