The Russian health minister failed to set an example after he took off his face mask during a speech while the country is gripped by a growing coronavirus crisis.
Mikhail Murashko was unmasked by his own MPs after they shouted at him: “Take off the mask” and “Take it off.”
He had attempted to address members while wearing personal protective equipment at a plenary session of the State Duma, or lower house of parliament.
He told them: “Respected colleagues, I feel rather comfortable being in a mask and gloves…”
The session was in Moscow, currently the Russian coronavirus epicentre, which has seen more than half the country's official death toll.
The chairman or speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, a close Vladimir Putin ally, intervened to make clear that he did not want government ministers mumbling from behind masks.
Murashko, a doctor turned politician, obeyed and was seen on footage removing his mask while still wearing the gloves.
He gave evidence amid complaints from doctors and nurses across Russia that they do not have sufficient stocks of personal protective equipment.
On 12th May, several regions in Russia - including the two largest cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg - made it mandatory for residents to wear face masks and gloves in all public places.
According to reports, anyone seen without a mask and gloves on public transport will be fined 5,000 rubles (£55) while those in other public areas will be fined 4,000 rubles (£44).
The health minister had earlier said: “A mask is, in fact, the element that allows us to move towards the normalisation of life.”
According to the latest figures from the John Hopkins University, Russia has registered 252,245 cases of COVID-19 and 2,305 related deaths.
