MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. The mandatory wearing of medical masks at crowded places as a preventive measure against the novel coronavirus infection should stay effective till the end of spring, the chief doctor of the Leader of Medicine center, Yevgeny Timakov, has said.

"As far as the mandatory wearing of masks is concerned, honestly speaking I would prefer not to hurry to cancel it before the end of spring, because we still have a large number of people vulnerable to the coronavirus infection. Herd immunity has not developed yet. It is true that many regions have seen stabilization and more than 50% of the population there have this immunity, for instance, in Moscow or some places, where massive infection occurred," he said.

Timakov warned that after the winter season Russians’ immunity will get weaker, which is a "normal annual phenomenon." Besides, the spring will see a seasonal surge in acute respiratory infections. For this reason, even in the context of epidemiological stabilization it would be wrong to ease precautions. A slight rise in COVID-19 rates in the spring is likely.

"Towards summertime, when there is more sunlight - in the southern regions in early May - it might be possible to ease some restrictions. In Russia’s central regions I would cancel the mandatory wearing of masks by the beginning of June, while advising those who have not experienced the infection yet to use masks further on as a precaution not to get ill. In particular, my advice is addressed to those who have not been vaccinated yet," he concluded.

Earlier, the head of Udmurtiya, Alexander Brechalov, said that the wearing of masks would be only a recommendation starting from February 12. Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov canceled the obligatory wearing of masks as of Wednesday, February 10.