MOSCOW (AP) – Russian authorities tried everything to convince people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including giving away groceries and holding raffles for new cars and apartments, but the ambitious plan to vaccinate 30 million people in mid- June fell short by a third.
So now, many regional governments in the huge country are forcing some workers to be immunized and demand to be vaccinated to enter certain businesses, such as restaurants.
While many Western nations lift restrictions against the coronavirus and plan its return to normal after massive vaccination campaigns, Russia struggles with a spike in infections despite the fact that it was the first in the world to authorize a vaccine and one of the first to start applying it last December.
The cases of contagion have gone from about 9,000 a day at the beginning of the month to about 17,000 on June 18 and more than 20,000 on Thursday and Friday. Moscow, its peripheral region and St. Petersburg account for about half of the new infections.
Russian authorities have blamed their citizens’ relaxed attitude towards security measures and the increasing prevalence of more contagious variants, but perhaps the most relevant factor is the low vaccination rate.
More than 21 million people, 14% of its 146 million inhabitants, have received at least one dose as of Friday and according to figures released this week, only 16.7 million, or 11%, were fully immunized.
Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that only 0.5% of those who have received both doses contracted COVID-19.
Experts say that these figures are due to several factors, such as public distrust of the rapid approval and development of the Sputnik V vaccine; the official narrative that Russia had controlled the outbreak; State television criticism of other vaccines calling them dangerous and a weak promotional campaign that included incentives such as gifts.
In light of the current rebound, at least 14 Russian regions – from Moscow and St. Petersburg to the remote Sakhalin region – determined this month to make vaccination mandatory for employees in certain sectors such as government offices, retail stores, healthcare, education, etc. restaurants and other branches of services, such as gyms and beauty centers.
Moscow authorities said that companies should suspend workers who are unwilling to be immunized and threatened to temporarily suspend the operations of businesses that do not meet the goal of having 60% of their staff with at least one dose. before July 15 and with both before August 15.
Starting Monday, restaurants, cafes and bars in the Russian capital will only accept customers who prove they have been vaccinated, who have survived COVID-19 in the last six months or who can show a negative test carried out in the previous 72 hours . In addition, elective hospital care will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated or can be shown to have antibodies to fight the virus.
These measures appear to be an act of desperation on the part of the authorities.
“They cornered themselves and now they have no choice,” said Judy Twigg, a political science professor specializing in Global Health at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“They overrated the vaccine so much that people don’t trust it. Then they took a series of measures that were a clear attempt to make it seem that the government had everything under control, that the pandemic was not a big deal … Additionally, now they are in this situation, as expected, where the decline vaccination rate was a gateway to the delta variant ”, he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted on Friday that there were no mandatory vaccinations and that “no one is making” Russians receive vaccinations. Earlier this week, Peskov explained that those who have to get vaccinated because of their type of work can reject it and look for a different job.
The governor of the southern Krasnodar region, home to the Sochi seaside resort on the Black Sea, said hotels and sanatoriums will only accommodate vacationers who submit a negative coronavirus test or a vaccination certificate as of July 1. As of August 1, only vaccinated people will be accepted.
Since those announcements, there has been “an avalanche” of cancellation of reservations in Sochi, which is generally popular, reported the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.
The orders have generated mixed responses, with some saying they are welcome if they prevent business closures, while others say it’s unclear how employers can persuade those who don’t want to get vaccinated.
“Most restaurants believe that vaccination is necessary,” said Sergei Mironov, founder of a restaurant chain and vice president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers. “But it is necessary to create the (adequate) conditions for the vaccination (campaign),” he added.
–
