Coronavirus: students to replace older teachers in Moscow
Moscow is to draft university students into primary schools to replace older and vulnerable teachers, as Russia reports record numbers of coronavirus infections but resists a fresh lockdown.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital, announced on Wednesday that high schools would remain closed next week after an extended autumn holiday, with about half a million students moved to distance learning.
But primary schools will reopen, with trainee teachers and recent graduates brought in to run some classes under the “remote supervision” of experienced staff. This would protect older teachers and those suffering from chronic diseases, Sobyanin said.
The announcement follows moves by health services in Russia and elsewhere to enlist medical students in the fight against Covid-19.
Sobyanin said the decision was “not easy, but necessary” as Moscow continues to register about 5,000 new Covid cases a day. He said the city had decided to keep primary schools open because younger pupils were less at risk and it was harder for working parents to leave them by themselves.
Russia has reported record numbers of daily infections for much of the past week, and on Wednesday they exceeded 14,000 for the first time. The previous day Russia recorded its highest number of daily fatalities since the start of the pandemic, with 244 deaths.
With more than 1.3m total cases, Russia is the fourth worst-hit country in the world after the US, India and Brazil.
The health minister, Mikhail Murashko, said the situation in the country was “very strained” and accused people of failing to follow government recommendations.
Hospital beds are at 90% capacity, according to the deputy health minister, Oleg Gridnev. But local media have reported that hospitals in some areas are already full, forcing doctors to turn away Covid patients and those with other illnesses.
Russia imposed a strict lockdown in the spring, but lifted measures in June before a referendum on changes to the constitution that will allow the president, Vladimir Putin, to rule until 2036. Putin declared “victory” over the virus and announced a Russian vaccine had been approved for use before it had passed the final stage of clinical trials.
Restrictions in Russia remain relaxed compared with most European countries, and officials say they have no desire to damage an already struggling economy with another lockdown.
Restaurants, bars and theatres are all open in Moscow, though the mayor’s office has asked businesses to keep a third of their workforce at home.