KPRF and Just Russia Reject United Russia Call to Stay Silent on Pandemic during Election Campaign

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 29 – United Russia has called for all parties competing in the Duma campaign to refrain from speaking about the pandemic lest they spread fear. Five other parties including the LDPR, Rodina and the Greens have gone along, but the KPRF and Just Russia-For Truth refuse, saying they have the right to talk about the problem (ng.ru/editorial/2021-07-29/2_8212_editorial.html).

            For the third time, Russia tied the daily record of deaths from the coronavirus at 799, officials say, adding that there had been a slight decline in the overall number of those infected to 23,270 led by falls in Moscow and St. Petersburg where the numbers remain the highest in the country (t.me/COVID2019_official/3378 and regnum.ru/news/society/3330437.html).

            Among the institutions where the spread of the coronavirus is especially high are Russia’s prisons and prison camps where many even with symptoms are not quarantined, given medical care or even tested, according to inmates (thebarentsobserver.com/en/covid-19/2021/07/regime-strict-covid-cruel).

            Russians able to travel abroad received some good news. Twenty-four countries now allow Russians with Russian vaccinations to enter, and the Russian government has extended the time they have for testing on return from three to four days (znak.com/2021-07-29/vyroslo_chislo_stran_gde_prinimayut_rossiyan_privityh_sputnik_v_perechen and aif.ru/health/coronavirus/rossiyanam_pribyvayushchim_iz_drugih_stran_prodlili_srok_sdachi_testov_na_covid).

            On the vaccine front, Moscow announced the start of testing of a fifth Russian vaccine even as independent experts for the third time demanded that the authorities stop the use of EpiVakKorona until all testing of that vaccine is completed (kp.ru/daily/28310/4451161/ and newizv.ru/news/science/29-07-2021/nezavisimye-eksperty-v-tretiy-raz-prosyat-vlasti-prervat-vaktsinatsiyu-epivakkoronoy).

            The Russian health authorities say that 36 million Russians have had at least the first vaccination shot, and the defense ministry says that more than 30,000 soldiers and sailors have had booster shots as well. Almost all uniformed personnel have already had the two shots required (regnum.ru/news/3332711.html and regnum.ru/news/3332997.html).

            Duma deputy Gennady Onishchenko said that those who don’t get vaccinated should be informed of how much their treatment is costing the government, although he stopped short of saying they shouldn’t be treated. But in some places, officials are requiring vaccinations before admitting people to hospitals for other illnesses (regnum.ru/news/3332571.html and idelreal.org/a/31383396.html).

            But left parties have succeeded in convincing the Russian elections administration to stop requiring the vaccination of all election supervisors (svpressa.ru/politic/article/305488/).

            Meanwhile, in other pandemic-related developments in Russia today,

·         Russian officials have blocked 976 websites selling fake vaccination certificates (regnum.ru/news/3332325.html).

·         Just Russia leader Sergey Mironov says that the pandemic has only intensified the problems of the Russian medical system that have been building up over the last few years (regnum.ru/news/3332293.html).

·         And Moscow city has launched a program to rehabilitate those who have recovered from covid infections (snob.ru/entry/209141/).