Russia will introduce a ‘work-free period’ from 1 to May 10 to prevent a further increase in the number of corona infections.
President Vladimir Putin announced on television that he agreed to a proposal from the Russian health service.
“If you think it’s necessary, let’s do it,” Putin said of Anna Popova’s plan, the head of regulator Rospotrebnadzor. The president signed a decree giving the population extra days off between holidays. They now do not have to show up for work for more than a week in a row.
May 1 in Russia celebrates Labor Day and May 9 the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II. According to Popova, people will now be less exposed to the coronavirus because they travel less by public transport, for example.
Earlier in the day, the TASS news agency reported that 8,840 new corona infections had been registered. One-third of these came from Moscow and the surrounding area. Russia has reported 4.7 million cases since the outbreak began.
Health authorities have registered just over 107,000 corona-related deaths, but the Russian statistics office says there are actually around 224,000.