MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. There are no grounds for introducing tough restrictive measures in Russia, including mandatory face masks, they are unlikely to emerge this season, Deputy Director of the Russian sanitary watchdog’s Research Institute of Epidemiology Alexander Gorelov told TASS.

"Currently there are no prerequisites for the introduction of any severe restrictive measures, and they are not foreseen, given that you and I are no longer naive about coronavirus infection," Gorelov said at a press conference dedicated to prevention of seasonal diseases in the autumn period.

Gorelov explained that almost everyone has somehow faced coronavirus infection, so Russia has formed post-infection and post-vaccine immunity, "therefore, the disease will run completely differently." "People are usually afraid of strict restrictive measures, quarantines. There are no grounds for their introduction currently, and they are unlikely to be introduced within this epidemic season," the expert concluded.

On Tuesday, the federal operational headquarters for fighting the infection said that the COVID-19 incidence in Russia has risen by 48% over the past week, while the number of hospitalizations has increased by 20.6%. Some regions have decided to introduce mandatory masks in medical institutions.