Sochi residents alarmed by decision to open resort season amid pandemic

On June 1, 2020, Sochi is launching the planned resort season, Mikael Nersesyan, the press service head of the Sochi city administration, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on May 27. At the same time, he noted that the season opening will take place under the restrictions imposed in connection with coronavirus.

He has added that the city is launching, gradually, depending on the situation, some sanatoriums and enterprises.

The Sochi residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent have strongly opposed the start of the resort season. The conducted polling is not representative, and reflects only the respondents' personal opinions.

"We are afraid of visitors," Olga Parshina, a biologist, believes that the city should remain closed until before the threat of coronavirus passes away.

Victor Isaev, a restaurateur believes that the Russian government should have introduced the state of emergency and helped both individuals and entrepreneurs. "My business is crashed, and nobody cares. I turned off my enterprise, because we were in a big minus; and how it'll all end is unknown," he has admitted, treating the opening of the resort season amid coronavirus as "abnormal."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 28, 2020 at 07:40 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.