Russia’s coronavirus measures might be winding down, but citizens should get used to wearing masks, says official

When Covid-19 is over, it still won't be time to take off your mask. Russian citizens have been told that wearing a face-covering will be very much a fixture of the future, whenever there is a high risk of respiratory infections.

Speaking to Russian news agency TASS, Tatyana Ruzhentsova, the head of the Russian health watchdog’s Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, explained that personal protective equipment should be used not only during the Covid-19 pandemic, but during the spread of all future airborne diseases. According to Ruzhentsova, wearing a face-covering prevents infections from spreading via droplets in the air.

The specialist noted that masks should not only be worn in crowded places, but also when in contact with patients and possible carriers of airborne infections. In many other countries, especially in Asia, face-coverings have long been a part of the culture, and people commonly wear a mask when feeling ill.

“They need to be worn while the risk of infection remains, which not only applies to the coronavirus,” she said. “When autumn comes, like in previous years, more people will again catch acute respiratory viral infections. So, I don’t recommend waiting for a date [when they can finally be taken off].”

Despite most of Russia removing many coronavirus-related measures, regional administrations have the authority to make their own rules. In the capital city, Moscow, masks are no longer obligatory outside, but they must be worn on public transport and in shops. The same restrictions also apply in Saint Petersburg, the country’s second-largest city.

In the last day, according to official government data, Russia detected 6,422 cases of Covid-19. Overall, the country has had the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world (746,369), behind the US (3,431,744), Brazil (1,926,824) and India (936,181).

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