MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/: The Russian government has approved a 23-point list of non-food essential goods, whose sale will continue during the novel coronavirus outbreak in Russia regardless of epidemiological situation.
The decree, published by the Russian government on Saturday, says that commercial organizations that trade in at least one group of those goods will be allowed to continue their operations during quarantine. Those organizations will also be allowed to sell non-essential goods, if they are sold alongside the essential ones.
The list includes children’s goods (including baby stuff), soap and various types of cleansers, sanitary and hygienic items, personal protection items, medical goods and disinfectants, pet products (including pet food and veterinary drugs), gasoline, diesel fuel, gas, car parts (including car lubricants and tyres), electrical equipment, cables, household applilances, computers and hardware, optic equipment.
Other items on the list are gardening tools, construction goods and instruments, sanitary ware, firefighting equipment, printed mass media, candles and matches, glasses (including spare parts) and contact lenses, tobacco products and marketing goods (such as packages, labels, price tags and cash register tape).
Regional authorities are entitled to add other categories of goods to the list, depending on epidemiological situation on their territory.
The decree also says that cafes and restaurants on the entire territory of Russia are allowed to provide only takeaway and food delivery services.
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in more than 160 countries.
The WHO on March 11 declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. As of now, more than 575,000 people have been infected around the world and over 26,000 have died. Russia has 1,264 confirmed coronavirus cases, while 49 people recovered. According to the federal coronavirus prevention headquarters, four patients died, even though the fifth death was reported but this information needs to be verified.
