MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Hours-long traffic jams have surfaced upon entering Moscow due to the newly-introduced pass system to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Sometimes, entry to Moscow may take anywhere from three to four hours, the Russian Transport Ministry’s Agency of Automobile Transport (Rosavtotrans) said Wednesday.
"Due to the pass system, introduced in Moscow on April 15, 2020, multiple-hour traffic jams are appearing at city entrances," the agency said in a statement. "During the system’s first day, the traffic police have been stopping cars selectively, but, despite that, traffic is already piling up and, on some roads, the drivers have to spend some three to four hours to enter the capital."
Traffic police officers check drivers and their passengers to see their digital passes, issued in accordance with the Mayor’s decree over the coronavirus spread. The officers then verify the digital code of the pass with the passports of everyone inside the vehicle, the agency says.
Those not having a pass face a 5,000-ruble fine. The traffic police control 160 entrance points to the city.
Over the past 24 hours, 1,774 new coronavirus cases have been registered in the Russian capital, amounting to a 13.6% daily increase. Moscow’s total case count now stands at 14,776.