Roman Chernov's video: Moscow returns to ordinary life

On June 9, Moscow lifted many of its most severe quarantine restrictions implemented to curb the spread of coronavirus. Many of the remaining limits on ordinary life — such as indoor cafe and restaurant service — will expire in just more than a week. This abrupt policy shift, rolled out shortly before a July 1 nationwide plebiscite on constitutional amendments (including reforms that could extend Vladimir Putin’s presidency to 2036), puts the Russian capital in a small group of large cities that have abandoned major containment measures before overcoming their coronavirus outbreaks. The spread of coronavirus peaked in Moscow and several other cities across the country back in mid-May, but infection rates have “stalled” at this level. Based on Meduza’s calculations, the capital remains Russia’s COVID-19 epicenter and still has hundreds of thousands of “active cases” — infected people who are capable of spreading the disease. Will Russia’s hurried containment exit lead to a new wave of infections? Scientific models used to predict the path of coronavirus ?