Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that QR codes, which were used to encourage vaccination, will not be able to quickly reduce the incidence. In the coming days, the capital may reach peak values for the incidence of coronavirus. The Moscow authorities have introduced non-working days, as this measure will most effectively help break the chains of infections.
“Non-working days give an immediate break in chains, these are urgent measures, when the pandemic has reached its peak, we need to immediately, today and now, take measures to smooth out the peaks of diseases … No QR codes will give such an effect,” he said on the air TV channel “Russia 1” (quoted by “Interfax”).
The Mayor of Moscow also noted that the introduction of QR codes in the summer brought a drop in revenues for restaurants from 20% to 80%. In his opinion, such measures should be introduced not in one industry, but everywhere and “not for a week or two,” but for a long period – up to six months.
According to Mr. Sobyanin, Moscow may reach peak incidence rates at the end of this week or the beginning of the next. “We see that the autumn ARVI wave, superimposed on the new strain of the delta coronavirus, gives such a fairly large synergy, and we see how every week the number of diseases starts to increase and increase. Based on such dynamics, we see that already at the end of this week – at the beginning of the next one we will reach the peak values of diseases, the highest in the history of a pandemic, ”he said.
8166 cases of coronavirus infection have been identified in Moscow today.
Due to the increase in cases of coronavirus, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced non-working days from October 30 to November 7 throughout the country. The days from October 28 to November 7 are declared non-working in the capital. During this period, catering establishments, non-food stores and almost all service enterprises, with the exception of pharmacies and grocery stores, will be closed. Restaurants are allowed to work takeaway. Theaters and museums will operate with 70% occupancy (QR codes and masks are required). For mass events with more than 500 participants, QR codes will also be required.
For more information about restrictions in Moscow, see the Kommersant article “Closed for COVID”.
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