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Too early to talk about lifting face mask mandate in Russia, watchdog says

18 March 2021 18:05 (UTC +04:00)

Lifting face mask mandates and other severe COVID-19 restrictions in Russia is still premature, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said on Thursday, APA reports citing TASS.

"Any drastic changes in our life or the lifting of the face mask mandate, for example, are out of the question now. So far, all the requirements to protect one’s health regarding wearing face masks, handwashing, using hand sanitizers and surface disinfectants - all that remains in place for now," she told the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Popova also noted that the coronavirus situation in Russia in general was stabilizing but remained tense.

To date, 4,428,239 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 4,037,036 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 93,824 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.