Covid-19 Curbs Are Reimposed in Moscow as Outbreaks Flare in the Asia Pacific
On Monday, work from home restrictions was reimposed in Moscow as Russia tried to contain a deadly coronavirus wave fuelled by the Delta variant. Several other Asian nations also tighten curbs to contain the growing outbreaks.
Many of the wealthy countries have brought down infections through rapid vaccinations, but the outbreaks are still raging from Bangladesh, and Indonesia to South America, including many waves that are fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant that has been first detected in India.
An explosion of new cases is seen in Russia in the last couple of weeks because of this Delta variant and authorities have announced fresh restrictions from Monday in the capital as they have pushed vaccine-skeptic citizens to get a shot.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow have told state TV on Saturday that to stop the pandemic one thing that is needed the most is large-scale and rapid vaccination. He also added that there is no other solution that is invented by anybody.
From this Monday, people will have to work from home in Moscow, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in Russia with the exceptions for vaccinated employees.
They will also have to present a QR code to enter restaurants to certify that they are either vaccinated or have had Covid-19 in the last six months or have a valid negative test.
The outbreak in Russia which is already one of the worst-hit nations in the world has also caused alarm because of the Euro 2020 football tournament which has seen thousands of fans attend matches in different countries across the continent.
Six matches are already hosted by Saint Petersburg and it is also the venue for one of the quarter-finals to be held on Friday. The number of spectators has been capped at half-capacity but still upwards of 26,000 people.
Covid-19 is also known to have claimed nearly four million lives globally since it first emerged in China in late 2019 and it is still spreading with multiple variants now in circulation.
The Delta variant is now in 85 countries and it is the most contagious of any variant identified so far according to reports from the World Health Organization.
The virus has remained on the march across the Asia-Pacific region, where Bangladesh has tightened its lockdown on Monday and the nation has also curtailed most of its economic activity.
The South Asian nation is home to more than 160 million people and it is going to shut down markets, shops, offices, transportation in stages by Thursday and the decision has sparked an exodus of tens and thousands of migrant workers from the cities.
Fatema Begum was waiting for a ferry when she told reporters that they did not have any choice but to leave Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. She also stated that no work during the lockdown has made it even more difficult for the
workers to pay the rent.
Glenda Bozeman – Business and Services
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