Last week, the fact that the introduction of a lockdown in Moscow due to the Omicron strain was not being discussed was announced in the Kremlin after a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin. “We talked in great detail about the coronavirus, Sobyanin informed the head of state about what was happening in the city,” Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said at the time. “The city, as you know, is the first to face the wave, the first to take on the incoming wave, but there was no talk of any lockdowns.”
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What restrictions apply now
According to the restrictions introduced at different times, self-isolation is now in place in Moscow for citizens over 60 years old and chronically ill, their transport cards have been blocked, remote work has been introduced for at least 30% of employees, and the use of masks in public transport, shopping centers and shops is mandatory.
There is also a ban on holding public events, offline work of the Moscow Longevity program has been stopped, and there are restrictions on holding concerts, cultural and sporting events (except those organized by the authorities), sporting events with more than 500 spectators (required to present QR codes) .
A ban has been introduced on visiting fan zones, dance floors and other venues for events without seats. Theaters and museums can only be visited by owners of QR codes when no more than 70% of seats are filled. There are certain seating rules in restaurants, and a ban on smoking hookahs has been introduced in cafes.
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Muscovites with symptoms of SARS can now receive medical advice using the telemedicine system. Moscow schools can decide on their own to introduce quarantine. On January 27, Moscow State University announced a possible transition to remote learning, but clarified that the faculties would make this decision on their own.
On January 27, Moscow set another absolute record for the number of coronavirus cases per day. Their number was 26.5 thousand, throughout Russia – 88.8 thousand. The increase in the number of diseases began with the New Year. Sobyanin on January 25 warned that the increase in cases of infection would continue for about two weeks.
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How business assessed the refusal to introduce a lockdown in Moscow
Hoteliers and restaurateurs positively assessed the decision of the city authorities not to introduce a lockdown. “We are always against any lockdowns, especially against the background of the fact that all possible measures to prevent, non-proliferation are being taken by shopping centers,” Dmitry Moskalenko, president of the Russian Council of Shopping Centers, told RBC.
Hotels have fully adapted to the situation caused by the pandemic, says Alexis Delaroff, CEO of the A Accor New East Europe hotel chain. “We have implemented all the safety measures recommended by the city government,” he says. Hotels comply with all the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor, says Vadim Prakhov, vice president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia. “The bulk of infections certainly do not occur in hotels, the issue here is more likely to be transport, shopping centers, but not hotels,” he says.
According to the founder of the Grabli restaurant chain Roman Rozhnikovsky, all normal restaurants correctly refer to the recommendations and requirements that have already been introduced – for two years they have trained to comply with all the requirements regarding masks, temperature, disinfection and ventilation of premises.