MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin today backed a proposal by the head of Russia’s health watchdog to introduce a non-working period early next month to prevent a surge in Covid-19 infections.
“If you think that it’s necessary, let’s do it. Today, I’ll sign the relevant decree,” he said in a televised meeting in response to a proposal from the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova.
She said the non-working stint from May 1 to 11 is part of an effort to limit the time Russians spend on public transport and their exposure to the coronavirus.
Many Russians go on vacation in early May every year.
May 1, when Russians mark Labour Day, and May 9, when the country celebrates its victory in World War II, are public holidays.
Before the announcement, the period from May 4 to 7 was supposed to be regular work days.
The move, expected to be welcomed by the public in an election year, also signals a reversal in Russia’s recent hands-off approach to containing the virus.
Most restrictions across the country have been lifted, and life in the capital here – the epicentre of the country’s outbreak – all but returned to normal at the beginning of the year.
Instead of a fresh lockdown, Russia has relied on its home-grown Sputnik V vaccine to tackle a fresh wave of infections that battered the country since last autumn.
But, it has been among the hardest hit by Covid-19, with the Rosstat statistics agency recording more than 224,000 virus-related deaths – significantly higher than the 107,501 health officials reported as of today.
The Rosstat toll means Russia has the third-highest number of virus deaths in the world, after the United States and Brazil.
Putin, in his annual state-of-the-nation address this week, hailed three vaccines developed by Russia, saying they are central to the nation’s ambition of developing herd immunity by autumn. – AFP, April 23, 2021
