September 24, 2023

Masking Required Here


Masking Required Here
Russian White House. Szilas, Wikimedia Commons.

Despite Russia's growing political isolation, the COVID-19 variant EG.5, informally known as "Eris," has arrived. The House of The Government of the Russian Federation, the workplace of the Russian Prime Minister, announced that, starting September 18, masking on their premises is mandatory to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and the flu, among other diseases.

According to RBK, employees at the "Bely Dom" (White House) were asked to wear masks in the office and avoid business trips both inside Russia and abroad. The institution also reduced its number of visitors.

Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the government is monitoring the spread of the disease in Russia. However, no measures have been announced for the general population.

The government's current attitude towards the virus drastically differs from its response during the height of the pandemic, which peaked in 2020 and 2021. At that time, officials downplayed the severity of the virus. Media and the government fomented skepticism around vaccines even though Russia was the first country to roll them out. Four hundred thousand lives in Russia were lost to the virus, according to official estimates, the fourth-highest death count of any nation. 

On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization declared the end of the coronavirus pandemic. In Russia, however, in the week of September 10, some 7,688 people tested positive for COVID-19.

You Might Also Like

Trading COVID for a Car
  • December 22, 2021

Trading COVID for a Car

Thankful for the care they received while ill, one citizen gladly gives away their wheels for the greater good. 
Party Like It's Belarus
  • January 06, 2021

Party Like It's Belarus

The president of Russia's neighbor Belarus ended 2020 the same way he started it: in denial over the coronavirus pandemic.
Ever-Resilient Lukashenko
  • August 03, 2020

Ever-Resilient Lukashenko

The President of Russia's neighboring Belarus says he had coronavirus, but even that didn't keep him down.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955