Russian Officials Look at Extending Off-Work Periods as COVID Cases Continue to Rise
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a non-working period in Russia from October 30 to November 7 that many regions are now extending due to all-time high COVID-19 cases and deaths, the Associated Press reported.
Officials in Russia's Novgorod region on Monday ordered most residents to stay home from work one more week starting November 8, the first region to extend the nationwide non-working period.
Russia's state coronavirus task force reported more than 40,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 1,100 deaths on Monday for the seventh day in a row, the highest numbers for the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
Putin has said regional authorities could start the non-working period earlier and extend it if needed, as Novgorod began its non-working days earlier than others, on October 25.
Russia's COVID-19 case and death numbers continue to surge during a low vaccine uptake. Less than 35 percent of Russia's nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated. Russia's government was reluctant to toughen restrictions even as the public attitude and concern for the coronavirus remains relaxed. Some are surprised that Russia's vaccine numbers remain so low, as it was among the first countries to approve and roll out a vaccine.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
On Monday, Novgorod's regional coronavirus task force reported 284 new infections—double the daily tally from a month ago when just over 140 new confirmed cases were reported each day. Governor Andrei Nikitin said there is no reason to expect the situation to improve any time soon.
The non-working period is aimed to curb the spread by keeping people out of offices and off crowded public transportation. But in some cities including Moscow, restrictions have been loosely observed, and many people rushed to popular holiday destinations, such as Russia's Black Sea resorts, to take advantage of the break.
Anna Popova, head of Russia's public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, told a government meeting on Monday that infections continued to grow in 78 of the more than 80 Russian regions.
Putin on Monday described the situation as "very difficult" during a meeting with military officials and arms makers. "More than 40,000 of those infected. It has never happened [before]," he said.
