FROM MOSCOW TO THE SUBURBAN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY: HOW THE RESTRICTIONS ARE BEING LIFTED IN RUSSIA

As the rate of increase in the incidence of COVID-19 begins to decline, the government officials are thinking about the gradual lifting of restrictions. As the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumers Protection Anna Popova noted at the meeting of the coordination council, 41 regions of Russia have already begun to lift the restrictions. What are the main differences in the system mode of different regions?

Moscow

Moscow, which sets the pace of life for the whole country, is gradually moving to lifting the restrictions. The first stage was the cancellation of digital passes and self-isolation for residents of the capital on 9 June. Ordinary citizens were finally able to legally visit hairdressers and beauty salons, and the artists began rehearsing in theaters and other cultural facilities.

Next week the dentists, lawyers, realtors and advertisers will start working. Libraries and summer cafes will be open as well.

Starting on 23 June, Moscow plans to open pools and fitness clubs, and water transport will begin to make the voyages.

As for the opportunity to go to the cinemas, the citizens of Moscow will have to wait until the beginning of July - this decision was made by Sergei Sobyanin, who noted that the final transition to a “normal” life would take at least two and a half months. And this is an optimistic scenario in case all circumstances are favorable.

Crimea and Krasnodar Territory

In the south of Russia, unlike the capital, the situation was tense. Residents of the Krasnodar Territory are forced to remain under quarantine for several weeks more. The authorities of the region extended it until 21 June, providing some mitigation measures.

Local residents were allowed to move around without masks; summer cafes, squares and parks were opened as well. However, the question of when the full holiday season will be launched has not found a definitive answer yet. There is no tangible improvement in the epidemiological situation with coronavirus on the territory of the Kuban, respectively, and the lifting of restrictions is being postponed.

However, the Krasnodar Territory, as the experts say, is more likely to open the tourist season this year than Crimea.

The head of the Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced the lifting of the regime of self-isolation from 15 June. This means that the business will be able to resume work. However, a significant number of companies, created to receive guests, can be left out of work. The fact is that until 1 July, business is allowed to deal exclusively with the residents of the peninsula.

However, it is worth noting that Sevastopol has already opened passenger transportation on the boats, and water excursions are allowed as well.

Regions

Among the regions of Russia, there are only six of them that have passed to the second stage of lifting the restrictions to date. According to information from Anna Popova, ten more regions are ready to move to the next stage. However, as the chief medical officer noted, “the coronavirus is forever with us.” And it is not the proper time to abolish the mask regime and general disinfection of the premises.

For the moment, cafes have already been opened in Buryatia, the actors and directors have begun rehearsals in Perm, and fitness clubs, restaurants, movie theaters and even children's camps have been allowed to work in the Sakhalin Region. Among the leaders in the removal of the restrictions, there is Karelia that has also opened shopping centers, fitness clubs and medical centers.

It should be noted that in some regions, the situation with coronavirus is developing unevenly, and therefore local people divided the territories into zones - this is what happens in the Kemerovo, Leningrad and Novgorod regions, as well as in Yakutia.

Regions that remove the restrictions slower than the others include Samara, Ivanovo, Kostroma, Penza, Rostov, Astrakhan regions, Mordovia, Khakassia, Altai Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region, as well as St. Petersburg.

The regions of the North Caucasus, where the authorities lift the restrictions as carefully as possible, are under special control as well.

It is worth recalling that in the event of a worsening of the incidence situation, the restrictions will be returned. It happened in the Trans-Baikal Territory - after a significant increase in the number of patients, the necessary measures have been strengthened again.