Russia will impose a 14-day quarantine requirement on individuals arriving from the U.K. starting Dec. 26 due to the spread of a more-contagious coronavirus strain in southeastern England, state consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has ordered.
All arriving passengers with the exception of aircraft crew members must self-isolate at home for 14 days after entering Russia, Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova said in the decree published Friday.
Russia previously suspended flights with Britain for one week amid worldwide fears of the new Covid-19 mutation, which is up to 70% more infectious than previous variants. Flights are expected to resume on Dec. 26.
More than 40 other countries suspended flights with Britain after the country imposed a strict lockdown in London and southeastern England ahead of the Christmas holiday in an effort to slow the virus’ spread.
The World Health Organization has called on countries to take action to stop the spread of the more transmittable version of the virus, which first appeared in Britain in September. The WHO said that the mutation has also been spotted in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.
Masks, Sofas & TVs Top Russians’ 2020 Shopping Lists
Face masks, sofas and televisions were the most in-demand consumer goods in Russia this year, according to online sales data.
Demand for masks was seven times higher than in 2019, data from online classified ads site Avito cited by the Vedomosti business daily showed.
Russians preferred single-use masks to reusable ones, Avito found, with disposable face coverings accounting for 56% of all mask purchases.
Sofas and TVs were the second and third most popular consumer goods this year, with demand up for both by more than a fifth. Fridges, games consoles, laptops and computer desks also made the top-10 as millions of Russians kitted out their homes and apartments for months spent working from home.
Demand for bicycles and running shoes — also among the year’s most popular items — surged during May and June, Avito said, as Russia exited a monthlong lockdown which, on paper, had banned Russians from going outside even to exercise.
Consumer spending plunged at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring after President Vladimir Putin imposed a monthlong non-working period in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Retail sales dropped by a quarter and have remained stubbornly below pre-crisis levels, even as shops remain open and Moscow shuns a fresh lockdown despite setting record numbers of new infections and deaths.
