Moscow shuts down as nation sees record virus cases, deaths

A person stands in front of an electronic screen informing of anti-Covid measures after new restrictions were imposed by local authorities to curb the spread of the Covid-19 in central Moscow yesterday.

Moscow shut down non-essential services for 11 days yesterday as Russia battles a record-breaking coronavirus surge driven by low vaccination rates.The country hardest-hit in Europe by the pandemic, Russia yesterday recorded 1,159 fatalities in a single day. An official government tally also reported a record 40,096 new infections.Authorities have shied away from the kind of severe lockdowns imposed in many countries, but have shut down all non-essential services in Moscow from yesterday until November 7. Retail outlets, restaurants, and sporting and entertainment venues are all closed, along with schools and kindergartens. Only shops selling food, medicine and other essentials are allowed to remain open, and cafes are open for take-away. President Vladimir Putin’s government has been pinning its hopes in the fight against Covid on homegrown vaccines like Sputnik V, but Russians have proven stubbornly resistant to being inoculated.As of yesterday, only 32% of Russia’s population had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid-19 data from the regions. The city’s sprawling Metro network was slightly less busy than normal Thursday, with many passengers not wearing masks. Roads were also moderately less congested.Authorities have not required Russians to stay at home during the non-working period and many were planning to use the days to travel across the country and abroad. The mayor of the Black Sea resort city of Sochi has warned of a huge influx of tourists, and demand in Russia for flights bound for Turkey and Egypt has soared.On the streets of the capital, some Muscovites said they approved of the restrictions, while others said they did not go far enough.“I think it’s important to save someone’s life rather than be entertained, especially given that it’s not for a long time,” Vladimir Chizhov, a 45-year-old programmer, said of the decision to close cinemas, bars and restaurants.But Arseny Kubanov, a 35-year-old sound engineer, said restrictions similar to European lockdowns were needed. “Tougher measures should be introduced until everyone is vaccinated, the way it was in Europe,” he said.“Otherwise, it is quite meaningless — this will continue wave after wave until everyone is vaccinated anyway.”