In a video link broadcast live on state television, Putin agreed to a proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova on Wednesday. From October 30th to November 7th, workers throughout Russia should stay at home, but continue to receive their wages. Regions in which the situation is particularly bad can therefore also extend the period.
With days off, Putin tried to get the corona situation under control at the beginning of the pandemic. Criticism came from business in particular that the crisis was being carried out on their backs.
Russia has recorded new highs in the corona numbers in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the statistics showed 1,028 corona deaths within 24 hours – more than ever before. In the same period, more than 34,000 new infections were counted.
In 27 of the total of 85 Russian regions, more than 90 percent of the corona beds in the hospitals are now occupied, said Vice Prime Minister Golikova. According to a report in the daily “Kommersant”, in some places all beds intended for corona patients are occupied.
Putin also complained about the “unfortunately not yet high” vaccination rate in the country. In the largest country in the world in terms of area, which has several vaccines of its own, many people are still skeptical. According to official information, only just under a third of the total of 146 million Russians are fully vaccinated.