Moscow’s kindergartens and preschool groups will continue to work as usual while all school students will be on holiday from October 5-18.
“On the recommendation of sanitary doctors, taking into account the autumn increase in colds and the growth of the number of identified cases of Covid, I decided to prolong the duration of the autumn holidays to two weeks and to hold them at the same time in all schools – on 5-18th of October,” Sobyanin’s message said.
The mayor advised children against spending this time in shopping malls and riding public transport “for fun”, urging parents to explain to their kids that “it is best to spend holiday time at home or in the countryside.”
"Today, a significant part of those infected, often asymptomatic, are children. When they come home, they very easily transmit the virus to adults and elderly family members, who suffer much more severely from the illness," Sobyanin added.
Rising cases: On Monday, Moscow recorded 2,217 new cases of coronavirus, the highest daily jump since early June and more than double the amount just four days earlier. That brings the capital's total to 287,993, according to its coronavirus headquarters.
Nationwide, 1,159,573 people have been infected, and 20,385 people have died of coronavirus in Russia, according to the country’s anti-coronavirus center.