MOSCOW, October 1./TASS/. Moscow will manage to defeat the coronavirus pandemic in several months with the help of mass vaccination, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin told Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.
"The sooner we have a vaccine, the sooner the population is vaccinated, the sooner we will do away with this infection," the mayor said. "I am confident that the pandemic will be over in a few months, and the mankind will continue to develop and live normally," Sobyanin stressed.
Earlier, the mayor announced new preventive measures in Moscow in view of a growth in coronavirus cases in the recent days, and an expected surge in cold-related diseases. Sobyanin advised Moscow residents over 65 and those with chronic illnesses to stay at home due to the increased incidence of the coronavirus.
"Moscow residents over 65 years of age and younger citizens with chronic illnesses shouldn’t, unless absolutely necessary, leave their homes or summer retreats," the mayor wrote on his personal blog last week. He also added that working Moscow residents over 65 and people with chronic illnesses should switch to working remotely starting on September 28. Strolls and physical activity outdoors are not restricted.
Also, the management of enterprises were asked to switch 30% of their personnel to work from home as well as to ensure strict compliance with anti-epidemic measures at workplaces.
School students will go on two-week holidays on October 5. Kindergartens will continue working routinely.
To date, 1,185,231 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 964,242 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 20,891 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.