St. Petersburg Is Lifting COVID Restrictions. In Moscow, They Were Used to Ban a Rally Against Election Fraud

St. Petersburg is lifting COVID restrictions. In Moscow, they were used to ban a rally against election fraud

Starting October 1, the St. Petersburg government is lifting the coronavirus restrictions that have been in force in the city for the past six years, Fontanka reports, citing Smolny.

The basis for the decision was an order from the chief state sanitary doctor for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.

Under the pretext of COVID restrictions, St. Petersburg authorities banned mass demonstrations and pickets for six years.

Moscow City Hall, in turn, used the pretext of coronavirus restrictions to ban rallies in the city against fraud in the State Duma elections. This was reported by Vera Mysina, a Communist Party candidate for deputy. She had proposed holding a rally in Plyushchevo Square in southeastern Moscow and received a refusal from the authorities with that wording.

@meduzalive