COVID-19 has unexpectedly taken the world by storm. It managed to get into Russia with 90 cases reported while this article was written. Being in Russia in self-isolation, I decided to do a survey to understand how local people perceive the threat of the coronavirus. I wanted to know how they feel about the prevention measures implemented by the government and what their personal protection tips are. In this difficult time, we can fight this pandemic by exchanging opinions and ideas, whether it’s between individuals or countries.
After the number of people infected started to increase the Russian government declared that it will close the borders to foreigners. They have also made schools and universities run their classes online, and allow most people to work from home. It encouraged everyone to stay at home as much as possible to avoid the spread of the virus. However, unlike Western European countries, Russia did not close its shops and restaurants, but forbid gatherings of more than 50 people instead.
I have asked six people living in Russia several questions and now share the results of my survey.
Is coronavirus a danger for Russia?
%
Yes
%
No
Do you think prevention measures undertaken by Russian officials are effective?
%
Yes
%
No
Following these diagrams, we can see that Russians understand the seriousness of the anger brought by the coronavirus and don’t think the measures taken by government are enough to stop the spread.
My interviewees also told me about the measures, taken in other countries that they think would improve the coronavirus situation in Russia. These measures include forbidding gatherings of big groups of people in one place, and closing down shops and restaurants as in Switzerland. One person appreciated China’s strict quarantine and the distribution of masks to everyone. Another person thought the measures of Spain and France encouraging self-isolation was necessary.
I have also asked Russian people about the personal protective measures they have undertaken to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Did you reduce your visits to public places?
%
Slightly reduced
%
Heavily Reduced
%
Reduced to strict minimum
What other widely recommended protective measures have you undertaken?
%
Wear protective masks in public places
%
Started washing hands more often
%
Wipe surfaces with disinfectant
Their personal tips to not catch the virus, not mentioned above are; no longer visiting elderly relatives for a while (as the virus is known to be deadly for the elderly), always keeping one-meter distance from other people, and using vitamins and supplements to strengthen the immune system.
It became clear to me, the Russian people believe that legal and individual measures should be undertaken to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. We don’t know if the situation of the pandemic is going to worsen or if the Russian government will change its prevention measures eventually. It’s certainly reassuring that people are taking this seriously, so let’s learn from each other, because the way to beat the coronavirus is through working together by following these measures.
Since writing of this article, Russian officials have established strict quarantine measures; forbidding people from leaving their apartments without a legitimate reason to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Taking this into account, some information in this article is outdated. Its aim is to show people’s attitude towards the virus in the beginning of its spread in Russia.