operation curarization
11 October 2021 0 comments
Business is shocked by QR codes and hopes that they will last no longer than a month — this was the case in Moscow
Starting tomorrow, QR codes confirming vaccination will be required everywhere in Tatarstan — in shopping malls, restaurants, gyms and swimming pools, at concerts or performances. "We don't see any other way out!" the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov explained the day before. The first effect is already there: queues have lined up at vaccination points, and the daily number of vaccinated has jumped 5 times. But how do the authorities of the republic expect to ensure the implementation of harsh measures? And what consequences should businesses and the public expect? This was understood by "BUSINESS Online".
The Era of QR Codes
The introduction of a QR code system in Tatarstan takes place in the mode of either improvisation or special operations. The resolution signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin was published on the evening of October 7, and since the 11th, rules are being introduced throughout the republic that seriously change the lives of millions of people and thousands of organizations.
QR codes confirming vaccination or coronavirus disease suffered during the last 6 months will play the role of a pass to the former world without restrictions (only officially diagnosed diagnoses displayed in the public services system are counted).
There are no visible reasons for such abrupt movements: the situation with the coronavirus, judging by the number of occupied hospital beds, has remained extremely tense since at least mid-September. The catalyst could have been a blow struck on October 5 by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who at a meeting with Vladimir Putin referred Tatarstan to the number of anti-leader regions in terms of the rates of primary vaccination against coronavirus. The Republic found itself in the company of Dagestan, North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Primorsky Krai and Novosibirsk Region. Previously, RT did everything to look the best in the eyes of the first person: in terms of the total number of infected and dead from coronavirus per 100 thousand people, Tatarstan demonstrates the best indicators in the country, even ahead of Chechnya and Dagestan. And here is a new challenge, a new statistical competition.
Tomorrow, without a QR code, people over the age of 18 will not be able to enter a shopping center, a store, a cafe, a gym, a swimming pool, a fitness center and a water park. Catering from tomorrow is completely prohibited from holding banquets. For trade, however, there is an important caveat - the restrictions apply only to non-food retail with a service area of over 400 square meters, so that "Pyaterochka", "Magnets" and most of the street retail are not in danger.
Further, theaters, cinemas (cinemas), circus, concert halls will be able to fill the halls by 50% with uniform seating of the audience, but no more than 500 people will be able to be in the room at the same time. It is important to emphasize: when filling half of the hall, QR codes will not be required from the audience. They will be needed only if the organizers wish to sell 70% of tickets without restrictions on their total number. To do this, you will also have to vaccinate all employees, with the exception of those with contraindications. Notification of the event to the sanitary and anti-epidemic Commission of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan must be submitted 7 days before the event.
Sports, entertainment, cultural events are also allowed with 50% occupancy, provided that there are no more than 500 spectators. 70% seating without restrictions on the absolute number of participants is allowed with universal vaccination of employees and with notification of the Commission of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan 30 days before the event.
Hotels and hostels can fill 100% of the room stock only if all employees are vaccinated. Unvaccinated staff reduces this bar to 50% of rooms.
The most severe restrictions are imposed on unvaccinated and non-covid residents over 65 years of age — they are sent to self-isolation. Pensioners are prohibited from leaving their places of residence (stay), except for applying for emergency medical care and cases of threat to life and health or going to the place of vaccination from COVID-19. It is also allowed to go to a store with an area of less than 400 sq. m, throw out garbage and walk a pet no further than 100 m from the place of residence. Employers are required to transfer employees 65+ to the "remote" or "take other measures to ensure compliance with these restrictions."
I must admit: the threat worked. Daily vaccination rates have increased by more than 5 times. As of October 6, 2,128 people were vaccinated per day in Tatarstan, 3,230 on October 8, and 10,300 residents of the republic on October 9 at once. But what will happen next?
Why did Sobyanin give up after three weeks?
The measures taken in Tatarstan largely repeat the example of Moscow, where QR codes for catering and mass events numbering over 500 people were introduced from June 28 last year. However, three weeks later, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, curtailed the experiment. As the mayor explained, the measure fulfilled its task: 2 million people were vaccinated in a month, most of the companies vaccinated 60% of employees.
However, the interlocutor of RBC in the mayor's office admitted that the restriction was lifted because of the problems of the "suffocating" restaurant business. "The cafe was bad, many had a bad lockdown, and that's all (the introduction of QR codes - ed.) killed them in general, so last but not least they decided to cancel the system out of pity and understanding," the source said. The media noted that after the introduction of codes, the revenue of catering fell by 2 times. Following the capital, the authorities of the Moscow region also announced the cancellation of QR codes from July 19.
At the same time, restrictions were introduced in Moscow in the summer, when restaurateurs had an outlet — open verandas where guests could be allowed without any restrictions. But all the same, according to Alexey Vasilchuk, the owner of the RESTart Vasilchuk Brothers holding (Teahouse No. 1 operates in Kazan), the loss of restaurant revenue was catastrophic: without summer verandas - from 70% to 90%, in establishments with verandas - from 20% to 50%. Probably, Tatarstan catering should be preparing for the same thing.
At the same time, the Moscow government tried to support the business as much as possible. Restaurant owners received one million rubles for each establishment plus a subsidy in the amount of utility bills for the entire third quarter. There is no question of any compensation in Tatarstan.
"It was a very difficult period for Moscow: at that time QR codes turned out to be the worst restriction, worse than lockdown. Because the restaurant is closed when the lockdown is over, and everything is logical: do you somehow negotiate with the landlord, with suppliers… And here you seem to be open, you have to pay wages and rent, but there are no people," said Sergey Mironov, the ombudsman in the field of Moscow restaurant business, vice-president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia, to BUSINESS Online.
He explains why even many of those who had QR codes stopped going to restaurants at that moment: "People go to restaurants in companies, often in 4-5 people. Even if there is at least one unvaccinated among them, the whole company will not go. This has become a serious problem for restaurants. Because when they say, "Well, you have 30 percent of the population vaccinated— they will come.".. Unfortunately, no, they won't come. They have wives, friends, girlfriends..."
A separate problem, as the restaurateur recalls, was with the technical verification of QR codes: they did not work for someone, they were not assigned to someone. "A person stands at the entrance, waving a piece of paper that he has a vaccination, and the QR code is not readable. Such situations were all the time," says Mironov. According to him, the business cannot verify the authenticity of the QR code of each visitor: "And who will do it? In Moscow, everything was very simple: a person came in, showed a QR code, he was counted, and that was it. Restaurants were already in a big shock to check something."
The restaurateur emphasizes that everything depends on what percentage of people in Tatarstan are now vaccinated and have a QR code, without this it is impossible to draw final conclusions [about how much this measure will hit business]. "I think QR codes are a very controversial decision and can lead to bad consequences for the market," Mironov concluded.
How QR codes move around the country
Despite the mixed results, not only Tatarstan decided to follow the path of Moscow. By the beginning of October, about a third of Russian regions announced the introduction of QR codes in various variations. Among them are Belgorod, Penza, Samara, Kaliningrad, Vladimir, Volgograd, Kurgan, Pskov, Rostov, Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk regions, Perm and Krasnodar Territories, Udmurtia. The authorities of the Orenburg and Sverdlovsk regions are just about to introduce this measure and have not determined the exact date. The authorities of the Ulyanovsk and Vologda regions tried to find a compromise: they warned in advance that they would start demanding codes from November 1. So people will have time to calmly get vaccinated, and business will be able to prepare.
At the same time, few people decide on a wide range of prohibitions and "distance" for 65+, following the example of Tatarstan. For example, in the Kurgan region since October 4, without QR codes, they are not allowed only to museums, theaters, libraries, gyms, swimming pools, and catering and hotels have not been affected by restrictions. In the Pskov region, from October 11, codes are required only when checking into a hotel.
Strict restrictions are imposed by Bashkortostan. Since October 12, residents of the republic without a QR code will not be able not only to visit shops, but also to use intercity buses and the Orlan commuter train. From October 18, a ban on unvaccinated entry to cafes, baths, saunas and beauty salons. Chuvashia has been testing the system since Monday, and has been launching it in "combat mode" since October 11. Those who do not have a phone will be able to show a paper analogue of the document, the regional authorities explained. In St. Petersburg, passes will be required only at sports arenas for the time being.
Starting tomorrow, QR codes confirming vaccination will be required everywhere in Tatarstan — in shopping malls, restaurants, gyms and swimming pools, at concerts or performances. "We don't see any other way out!" the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov explained the day before. The first effect is already there: queues have lined up at vaccination points, and the daily number of vaccinated has jumped 5 times. But how do the authorities of the republic expect to ensure the implementation of harsh measures? And what consequences should businesses and the public expect? This was understood by "BUSINESS Online".
The Era of QR Codes
The introduction of a QR code system in Tatarstan takes place in the mode of either improvisation or special operations. The resolution signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin was published on the evening of October 7, and since the 11th, rules are being introduced throughout the republic that seriously change the lives of millions of people and thousands of organizations.
QR codes confirming vaccination or coronavirus disease suffered during the last 6 months will play the role of a pass to the former world without restrictions (only officially diagnosed diagnoses displayed in the public services system are counted).
There are no visible reasons for such abrupt movements: the situation with the coronavirus, judging by the number of occupied hospital beds, has remained extremely tense since at least mid-September. The catalyst could have been a blow struck on October 5 by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who at a meeting with Vladimir Putin referred Tatarstan to the number of anti-leader regions in terms of the rates of primary vaccination against coronavirus. The Republic found itself in the company of Dagestan, North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Primorsky Krai and Novosibirsk Region. Previously, RT did everything to look the best in the eyes of the first person: in terms of the total number of infected and dead from coronavirus per 100 thousand people, Tatarstan demonstrates the best indicators in the country, even ahead of Chechnya and Dagestan. And here is a new challenge, a new statistical competition.
Tomorrow, without a QR code, people over the age of 18 will not be able to enter a shopping center, a store, a cafe, a gym, a swimming pool, a fitness center and a water park. Catering from tomorrow is completely prohibited from holding banquets. For trade, however, there is an important caveat - the restrictions apply only to non-food retail with a service area of over 400 square meters, so that "Pyaterochka", "Magnets" and most of the street retail are not in danger.
Further, theaters, cinemas (cinemas), circus, concert halls will be able to fill the halls by 50% with uniform seating of the audience, but no more than 500 people will be able to be in the room at the same time. It is important to emphasize: when filling half of the hall, QR codes will not be required from the audience. They will be needed only if the organizers wish to sell 70% of tickets without restrictions on their total number. To do this, you will also have to vaccinate all employees, with the exception of those with contraindications. Notification of the event to the sanitary and anti-epidemic Commission of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan must be submitted 7 days before the event.
Sports, entertainment, cultural events are also allowed with 50% occupancy, provided that there are no more than 500 spectators. 70% seating without restrictions on the absolute number of participants is allowed with universal vaccination of employees and with notification of the Commission of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan 30 days before the event.
Hotels and hostels can fill 100% of the room stock only if all employees are vaccinated. Unvaccinated staff reduces this bar to 50% of rooms.
The most severe restrictions are imposed on unvaccinated and non-covid residents over 65 years of age — they are sent to self-isolation. Pensioners are prohibited from leaving their places of residence (stay), except for applying for emergency medical care and cases of threat to life and health or going to the place of vaccination from COVID-19. It is also allowed to go to a store with an area of less than 400 sq. m, throw out garbage and walk a pet no further than 100 m from the place of residence. Employers are required to transfer employees 65+ to the "remote" or "take other measures to ensure compliance with these restrictions."
I must admit: the threat worked. Daily vaccination rates have increased by more than 5 times. As of October 6, 2,128 people were vaccinated per day in Tatarstan, 3,230 on October 8, and 10,300 residents of the republic on October 9 at once. But what will happen next?
Why did Sobyanin give up after three weeks?
The measures taken in Tatarstan largely repeat the example of Moscow, where QR codes for catering and mass events numbering over 500 people were introduced from June 28 last year. However, three weeks later, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, curtailed the experiment. As the mayor explained, the measure fulfilled its task: 2 million people were vaccinated in a month, most of the companies vaccinated 60% of employees.
However, the interlocutor of RBC in the mayor's office admitted that the restriction was lifted because of the problems of the "suffocating" restaurant business. "The cafe was bad, many had a bad lockdown, and that's all (the introduction of QR codes - ed.) killed them in general, so last but not least they decided to cancel the system out of pity and understanding," the source said. The media noted that after the introduction of codes, the revenue of catering fell by 2 times. Following the capital, the authorities of the Moscow region also announced the cancellation of QR codes from July 19.
At the same time, restrictions were introduced in Moscow in the summer, when restaurateurs had an outlet — open verandas where guests could be allowed without any restrictions. But all the same, according to Alexey Vasilchuk, the owner of the RESTart Vasilchuk Brothers holding (Teahouse No. 1 operates in Kazan), the loss of restaurant revenue was catastrophic: without summer verandas - from 70% to 90%, in establishments with verandas - from 20% to 50%. Probably, Tatarstan catering should be preparing for the same thing.
At the same time, the Moscow government tried to support the business as much as possible. Restaurant owners received one million rubles for each establishment plus a subsidy in the amount of utility bills for the entire third quarter. There is no question of any compensation in Tatarstan.
"It was a very difficult period for Moscow: at that time QR codes turned out to be the worst restriction, worse than lockdown. Because the restaurant is closed when the lockdown is over, and everything is logical: do you somehow negotiate with the landlord, with suppliers… And here you seem to be open, you have to pay wages and rent, but there are no people," said Sergey Mironov, the ombudsman in the field of Moscow restaurant business, vice-president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia, to BUSINESS Online.
He explains why even many of those who had QR codes stopped going to restaurants at that moment: "People go to restaurants in companies, often in 4-5 people. Even if there is at least one unvaccinated among them, the whole company will not go. This has become a serious problem for restaurants. Because when they say, "Well, you have 30 percent of the population vaccinated— they will come.".. Unfortunately, no, they won't come. They have wives, friends, girlfriends..."
A separate problem, as the restaurateur recalls, was with the technical verification of QR codes: they did not work for someone, they were not assigned to someone. "A person stands at the entrance, waving a piece of paper that he has a vaccination, and the QR code is not readable. Such situations were all the time," says Mironov. According to him, the business cannot verify the authenticity of the QR code of each visitor: "And who will do it? In Moscow, everything was very simple: a person came in, showed a QR code, he was counted, and that was it. Restaurants were already in a big shock to check something."
The restaurateur emphasizes that everything depends on what percentage of people in Tatarstan are now vaccinated and have a QR code, without this it is impossible to draw final conclusions [about how much this measure will hit business]. "I think QR codes are a very controversial decision and can lead to bad consequences for the market," Mironov concluded.
How QR codes move around the country
Despite the mixed results, not only Tatarstan decided to follow the path of Moscow. By the beginning of October, about a third of Russian regions announced the introduction of QR codes in various variations. Among them are Belgorod, Penza, Samara, Kaliningrad, Vladimir, Volgograd, Kurgan, Pskov, Rostov, Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk regions, Perm and Krasnodar Territories, Udmurtia. The authorities of the Orenburg and Sverdlovsk regions are just about to introduce this measure and have not determined the exact date. The authorities of the Ulyanovsk and Vologda regions tried to find a compromise: they warned in advance that they would start demanding codes from November 1. So people will have time to calmly get vaccinated, and business will be able to prepare.
At the same time, few people decide on a wide range of prohibitions and "distance" for 65+, following the example of Tatarstan. For example, in the Kurgan region since October 4, without QR codes, they are not allowed only to museums, theaters, libraries, gyms, swimming pools, and catering and hotels have not been affected by restrictions. In the Pskov region, from October 11, codes are required only when checking into a hotel.
Strict restrictions are imposed by Bashkortostan. Since October 12, residents of the republic without a QR code will not be able not only to visit shops, but also to use intercity buses and the Orlan commuter train. From October 18, a ban on unvaccinated entry to cafes, baths, saunas and beauty salons. Chuvashia has been testing the system since Monday, and has been launching it in "combat mode" since October 11. Those who do not have a phone will be able to show a paper analogue of the document, the regional authorities explained. In St. Petersburg, passes will be required only at sports arenas for the time being.