{"id":3180,"date":"2021-02-10T16:08:21","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T16:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=3180"},"modified":"2022-01-17T14:57:23","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T12:57:23","slug":"russia-aims-for-pre-covid-near-normality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/russia-aims-for-pre-covid-near-normality\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia aims for pre-Covid Near Normality"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 333 [10 February 2021]<\/strong>
or Russia’s Near Normal vs the West’s New Normal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Published: 10 February 2021 ~ Russia aims for pre-Covid Near Normality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few weeks to go yet before I can legitimately celebrate my first Covid self-isolation anniversary, but as that peculiar milestone approaches there are other positives that merit raising a glass or two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diary of a self-isolating Englishman in Kaliningrad<\/strong>
Previous articles: Englishman<\/strong>
Article 1: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 1 [20 March 2020]<\/a>
Article 2: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 6 [25 March 2020]<\/a>
Article 3: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 7 [26 March 2020]<\/a>
Article 4: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 9 [28 March 2020]<\/a>
Article 5: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 10 [29 March 2020]<\/a>
Article 6: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 16 [4 April 2020]<\/a>
Article 7: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 19 [7 April 2020]<\/a>
Article 8: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 35 [23 April 2020]<\/a>
Article 9: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 52 [10 May 2020]<\/a>
Article 10: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 54 [12 May 2020]<\/a>
Article 11: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 65 [23 May 2020]<\/a>
Article 12: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 74 [1 June 2020]<\/a>
Article 13: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 84 [11 June 2020]<\/a>
Article 14: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 98 [25 June 2020]<\/a>
Article 15: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 106 [3 July 2020]<\/a>
Article 16: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 115 [12 July 2020]<\/a>
Article 17: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 138 [30 July 2020]<\/a>
Article 18: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 141 [2 August 2020]<\/a>
Article 19: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 169 [30 August 2020]<\/a>
Article 20: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 189 [19 September 2020]<\/a>
Article 21: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 209 [9 October 2020]<\/a>
Article 22: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 272 [11 December 2020]<\/a>
Article 23: Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 310 [18 January 2021]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top of the pops must be the worldwide thumbs up for Russia\u2019s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. Following news of its approval by one of the UK\u2019s most prestigious medical journals, the Lancet<\/em>, begrudgingly the West\u2019s media has been forced to concede that Sputnik V flew first past the finishing post in their international vaccine race, proving against all odds that the classic adage ‘who dares wins’ is still the winning formula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018bugger, we got it wrong\u2019 factor is almost palpable in hindsight, as the great bastions (I think that\u2019s the right word?) of the neoliberal press twist and turn within themselves to corkscrew a last derogative spin out of what remains of their discredited cynicism, and inevitably in the process come away from it all looking and sounding rather mardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the EU let down somewhat embarrassingly by a vaccine supply bottleneck and other problems with its two main vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and another by Pfizer and Germany\u2019s BioNTech, let\u2019s hope that neoliberal globalist politics will not get in the way should Angela Merkel\u2019s welcome mat need to be rolled out quickly for Sputnik V. After all, the international nature of a pandemic requires international co-operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-Covid Near Normality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another reason for celebration, but one tempered by caution and common sense, is the understanding that daily coronavirus cases in Russia are down 50 per cent from their peak in mid-December 2020*. With infection numbers said to be travelling in the right direction, downwards, it would appear that in some parts of the country steps are being taken to relax coronavirus restrictions*, a move which represents an entirely different approach to the \u2018no light at the end of the tunnel\u2019 endless lockdown scenarios with which my family, friends and the rest of the nation are faced in embattled Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Moscow, limitations on opening times of pubs, restaurants and clubs are due to be removed (I should say so!), and full-time teaching in universities is to be resumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheering news for those who have been staunch and consistent critics of the efficacy of masking-up is that based on evidence of increasing immunity the days of mandatory face masks might soon be over in Russia. And not before time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, I was pulled up by a tram conductress ~ one of those large redoubtable babushkas<\/em> ~ for being maskless on public transport. I had not forgotten to wear my mask, and neither was I making a formal protest; the face towel had simply chosen to leap from my pocket as I was boarding the tram. I did try to improvise by wrapping my scarf around my mush, but this stout defender of rules are rules was not the sort to take prisoners. Fortunately for me, my wife procured a spare mask from her handbag and honour was seen to be done ~ in other words, I narrowly escaped the humiliation of having my maskless arse kicked off the tram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had this happened it would have been a grave injustice, as I, for one, have found wearing a mask to be particularly useful recently, possibly not as a hedge against catching coronavirus but most definitely as an effective face glove, as temperatures in Kaliningrad plummet to minus 20. If the weather carries on like this debunking global warming, I will have no choice but to snip off the fur-lined flaps from the sides of my spare ushanka<\/em> (hat) and attach two bits of elastic to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, whilst we wait for this to happen, here is a quick recap of the latest response to coronavirus as reported in Russian media:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udd1eThere is hope in the air that soon we might all be enjoying more air as part of nationwide demasking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udd1eAs there are no strict lockdowns in Russia, they will not be lifted, but spirits may still be lifted by relaxing what restrictions there are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udd1eNormal service is beginning to be resumed in the nation\u2019s universities and, most importantly, in the bars, clubs and restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\ude01Sputnik V gets 10 out of 10 in the International Vaccine Race and quick to criticise critics 10 out of 10 for egg on their face. And doesn’t it serve them right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Sources<\/em><\/strong>
https:\/\/www.rt.com\/russia\/513951-measures-pandemic-slowly-receding\/<\/a>
https:\/\/www.rt.com\/russia\/514381-face-masks-ban-possible-lift\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright [text] \u00a9 2018-2022 Mick Hart. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 333 [10 February 2021]or Russia’s Near Normal vs the West’s New Normal Published: 10 February 2021 ~ Russia aims for pre-Covid Near Normality There are a few weeks to go yet before I can legitimately celebrate my first Covid self-isolation anniversary, but as that peculiar milestone approaches there are other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1366,6],"tags":[224,238,293,1412,231,141,1385,1410,1413,1414,255],"class_list":["post-3180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diary-2021","category-kaliningrad-mick-harts-diary","tag-coronavirus-uk-lockdown","tag-diary-of-a-self-isolator","tag-diary-of-a-self-isolator-in-kaliningrad","tag-diary-of-a-self-isolator-day-333","tag-diary-of-self-isolating-kaliningrad","tag-mick-harts-diary-2","tag-no-lockdown-in-kaliningrad-russia","tag-russia-aims-for-pre-covid-near-normality","tag-sputnik-v-approved","tag-sputnik-v-vaccine-vindicated","tag-uk-police-enforce-social-distancing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/zulmaury-saavedra-zh0J32MrJfA-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1437%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3018,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/no-lockdown-in-kaliningrad-russia\/","url_meta":{"origin":3180,"position":0},"title":"No Lockdown in Kaliningrad Russia","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"18 \u044f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Diary of a Self-isolator: Day 310 [18 January 2021]or Business as Usual Published: 18 January 2021 There is no lockdown in Kaliningrad, Russia. 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