About 1 mln people will return to work in Moscow

Moscow

About 1 million people will return to work in Moscow this week after the self-isolation measures in the Russian capital imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted, Deputy Mayor Vladimir Yefimov said on Tuesday.

Earlier, Russian Mayor Sergei Sobyanin informed that starting June 9, the self-isolation regime in Moscow would be cancelled, along with the permit system and the schedule for walks around the city, TASS News Agency reported.

Beauty parlours, hairdressers and other enterprises will begin work on Tuesday.

"According to our estimations, about a million people will return to work this week, including employees of offices that used to adhere to self-isolation measures. We will see the economic effects by Friday," Yefimov told TASS News Agency.

He reminded that before June 9, Moscow economy was 85 per cent active, with about one million people being forced to suspend their professional activity and 3 million working from home.

The return to the previous way of life will be gradual, however, each step on lifting the restrictions gives a significant boost to economic activity, the Deputy Mayor added.

A high alert regime over the coronavirus epidemic was imposed in Moscow on March 29.

Many businesses, culture facilities and urban spaces were closed and people were strongly advised to go into self-isolation. When the epidemic situation began to improve, the city's authorities started to ease the coronavirus lockdowns.

Industrial enterprises and construction sites, state services centres resumed work from mid-May. Non-food stores and some service companies opened from June 1, TASS News Agency reported.

Digital passes and lockdown requirements will also be lifted from Tuesday onwards.

In a week's time - starting from June 16 - dentist clinics, companies in the real estate segment, leasing, law, accounting, consulting, advertising and market research will get back to normal activity.

It will also be possible to hold sports competitions on the condition the seat occupancy rate will be no greater than 10 per cent.

In the third phase, starting on June 23, gyms, fitness clubs and swimming pools will be allowed to open alongside restaurants, cafes, canteens, bars, and other public catering outlets, spa salons, sunrooms, steam baths and saunas.

To date, a total of 476,658 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, the third highest in the world, with 230,688 patients having recovered from the disease.

Russia's latest data indicates 5,971 fatalities nationwide.