MOSCOW — Schools, shops and restaurants in the Russian capital will close next week, municipal officials said, in one of the tightest lockdowns in the city of Moscow since the pandemic began, a measure made necessary by low vaccination rates.
Russia s coronavirus response, like that of many other countries, has seesawed between strict controls and lax enforcement of mask-wearing and vaccination rules. This week Russia pivoted again toward tighter lockdowns as reports of new cases and Covid - 19 deaths climbed.
Reported cases are up 33 percent over the last two weeks, reaching more than 32,400, according to a New York Times database. And on average over the past week, 983 people a day died from coronavirus; on some days that number exceeded 1,000. Only Russian-made coronavirus vaccines are available in the country, and many people are hesitant to get them. Russia s vaccination rate of 33 percent of the population is lower than the global average of 37 percent and far behind the rates in most of Europe.
To combat the surge in cases and deaths, President Vladimir V. Putin declared a countrywide nonworking week from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, extending a regular fall holiday by several days. The restrictions announced by Moscow on Thursday were even stricter.