in the face of stubbornly low vaccination rates Moscow authorities announced last week that at least 60% of the workforce is in the hospitality industry. This covers everything from catering to housing and transportation. Must have received at least one vaccination by July 15.
“Vaccination is still voluntary,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
But while Peskov says some people can refuse the vaccine. But they may lose their livelihood due to doing so.
“If Moscow residents work in the service sector and need to be vaccinated but decided not to be vaccinated He just had to stop working in the service sector. And if he wants, he will find work in other places that are not related to areas where compulsory vaccinations are available,” he said.
Russian officials kept the latest news on television and briefed on the rapidly deteriorating situation across the country. The worrying images began to surface again on Russian social media sites. Demonstrating the growing burden of coronavirus across the country, both Moscow and St Petersburg reported record daily death tolls on Monday. According to the Russian Center for Anti-Coronavirus Crisis
A patient was seen lying in the corridor of a hospital in St. Petersburg. It currently hosts a handful of Euro 2020 football matches as the overburdened medical system fights the rise of infections. Images of ambulances waiting to pick up patients outside the hospital reappear.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin warned on Monday that the burden was still rising on hospitals in the capital. “Over the past week We have broken new records for the number of hospitalizations, critically ill patients and the number of deaths from coronavirus,” he said, according to state media agency RIA Novosti.
Despite being the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine But Sputnik 5, for use in August 2020, Russia also has a vaccination rate behind most countries in the world.
As of Monday, 23 million people in Russia The country of about 146 million people has been vaccinated at least once. The health minister told state media that about 16.7 million people were shot in both shots. According to figures released by the government last week. That’s about 11% of the population. About 46% of people in the United States are fully vaccinated. In the UK, about 48%
Although the pandemic has hit Russia hard But the idea of compulsory vaccination was unpopular.
Meanwhile, the Russian government insists it has not launched a comprehensive compulsory vaccination plan. But testimony from ordinary workers who did not want to use their full names. Demonstrates a sense of pressure and urgency to vaccinate across the board.
Among the Moscow residents lined up outside the vaccination center opposite Gorky Park. During the hot weather in June There are people working in hospitality, construction and business, including students. A receptionist at the center told CNN that over the past few days people have been lining up between 8 a.m. and closing time at 10 p.m.
“I had to get vaccinated because of my job. Because I work in the catering industry,” said Dmitry, a 29-year-old bartender who was waiting for his first appointment.
“But I know I have to do this one way or another, sooner or later they will pressure everyone to the point where we have to,” he told CNN, without giving his full name.
Yegor, an IT specialist, was also waiting in line. Despite not having a role to face with customers. But he said he had no options for vaccinations.
“My job is for me,” he said, refusing to give his full name either. “They told me at work that I had to. [get vaccinated]”
“I think it’s bad that they do this. It should be voluntary. while in fact it is But in reality, there was no choice but to comply with what the authorities wanted.
“That’s not right. Everyone has to have a choice about whether to vaccinate or not.”
Moscow authorities seem to know that such a policy will face resistance. They announced this new policy. Because Russia has been attracted by a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden.
State media TASS reported that about 500 protesters were held in Novopushkinsky Square. Moscow city center on saturday They want the right to choose whether to vaccinate or not. and stop laying off workers and bring workers back to work immediately According to independent review site OVD-Info, they are calling for the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in the catering industry. “And Covid Discrimination in Society and Business” according to OVD-Info.
62% of Russians did not want to shoot Sputnik.
Alexandra Arkhipova, a social anthropologist and researcher at RANEPA University in Moscow, told CNN there was a “crisis of people’s confidence in political and medical institutions.” Arkhipova has studied trends in social media engagement. and Internet searches of Russian citizens and said that many believe no “Clear and transparent information” about the vaccination process. So they are driven to look for ways to access the system.
Russian media are full of reports of some people illegally buying fake vaccination certificates to circumvent the measure.
Sellers offering fake certificates that Russians can use as “proof” of vaccination are ubiquitous on Russian social media sites and encrypted messaging app Telegram. Want real certificates or do they want to upload data to state and registration databases? Russian media reports
“The feeling that officials lied to or forced them to get vaccinated. Conceal the truth about vaccines It makes people feel morally right to buy fake vaccination certificates,” Archipova said.
An anonymous 31-year-old Moscow businesswoman said she wanted to buy a fake certificate because she didn’t think she had enough knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine.
“In Moscow, it is forbidden to go to restaurants. [without a negative PCR test or a proof of vaccination]. I’m alone and eating out. All my meetings are held in a restaurant. Doing a PCR test every time I want to drink coffee is not an option,” she said.
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