The Kremlin announced Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been placed under quarantine after several members of his inner circle tested positive for Covid-19. Putin has tested negative for coronavirus and is “healthy,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

In a conference call with journalists, Peskov said that because several people in Putin’s entourage had been sickened by Covid-19, the President had to adopt a responsible attitude to not jeopardize the health of his colleagues. The spokesperson refused to say who had tested positive and claimed he had no idea if the people had been vaccinated.

Putin had a busy day on Monday after being vaccinated against Covid-19 in March. He saw Syrian President Bashar al-Assad face to face, met several Russian Paralympians, and inspected troops participating in military drills in Nizhny Novgorod.

When asked why Putin met with Assad if he was worried about being exposed to those who had tested positive, Peskov replied the meeting happened before the quarantine decision was announced.

When questioned by journalists about Putin’s itinerary, Peskov repeated that there was “nothing illogical” about his meetings, even though Putin informed Russian sportsmen on Monday that there were individuals sick with coronavirus surrounding him.

Russia is one of the worst-affected nations in the coronavirus pandemic, with the eighth-highest number of cases worldwide. According to World Health Organization figures, it has officially reported more than 7 million infections and 190,000 deaths as of Tuesday.

It is presently fighting a deadly third wave of diseases, with weekly fatalities reaching record highs.