Vladimir Putin will go into self-isolation after being exposed to several people in his entourage infected with COVID-19, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The 68-year-old Russian President is “absolutely healthy” and has tested negative for coronavirus, Peskov told a regular conference call. Putin will avoid in-person meetings for “some time”, he said. Plans to fly to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, this week to attend regional summit meetings were canceled and Putin will participate via video conference, he added.

Putin has eased once-strict restrictions on public events and meetings in recent months, following the announcement earlier this year that he received Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID.