On Thursday, Russia announced yet another significant increase in covid cases. There were 40,096 new cases recorded in the nation, with 1,159 deaths. To prevent the virus from spreading further, the Russian authorities ordered that all non-essential services in Moscow be shut down for 11 days. Local officials have also been told by President Putin to force unvaccinated persons over the age of 60 to stay at home and to close nightclubs and other entertainment places.
Putin has encouraged the worst-affected regions to start the off-work period earlier and possibly extend it beyond Nov. 7.
Here are some of the restrictions ordered by President Putin to contain the spread of the virus:
- President Putin has ordered a nonworking period from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 when most state organizations and private businesses are to suspend operations.
- Most stores, kindergartens, schools, gyms and entertainment venues will be closed
- Restaurants and cafes will only be open for takeout or delivery.
- Food stores, pharmacies and companies operating key infrastructure can stay open.
Access to museums, theaters, concert halls and other venues will be limited to people holding digital codes on their smartphones to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, a practice that will remain in place after Nov. 7.
Moscow is to suspend work for most people on Thursday. Russian authorities expect the time off will help limit the spread of contagion by keeping people out of offices and public transportation, but many Russians sought to take advantage of the time for a seaside vacation ahead of the long winter season.
Air fare sales and hotel bookings at Russia’s Black Sea resorts boomed, prompting local authorities to shut down entertainment venues and limit access to restaurants and bars to prevent a spike in infections. The sales of package tours to Egypt also soared.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted on Wednesday that the travel boom has drawn the concern of medical experts but added that there are no plans to restrict travel. The government has blamed the soaring contagion and deaths on the slow pace of vaccination.
Only about 49 million Russians about a third of the country’s nearly 146 million people are fully vaccinated. Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine, launching Sputnik V in August 2020, and has a plentiful vaccine supply. But widespread public skepticism blamed on conflicting signals from authorities has stymied the uptake.
