“Better to do walks on the balcony”: how metropolitan police monitor compliance with self-isolation

In Moscow, police launched raids to identify violators of the universal self-isolation regime introduced to counter the spread of COVID-19. So far, law enforcement officers mainly confine themselves to preventive conversations with irresponsible citizens - they tell them about the threat of walking, are asked to stay at home and hand out questionnaires.

RT correspondent took part in the “anti-coronavirus” police raid near the Bishop’s pond in Cherkizovo.

“The embankment of the pond is a favorite vacation spot for the residents of this region, and it was there that, on warm days, people who were tired of staying at home pulled out and one of our patrols would work there,” Major Artyom Anokhin, commander of a separate company of the teaching staff of the Cherkizovo district, told me.

Last year, according to Anokhin, during the drainage of the pond, communal workers found an object in the mud that looked very much like a martyr’s belt. The area was cordoned off, sappers arrived. It turned out that it was a dummy with plasticine. Only after a long time, the police on TV saw the series "Call Center", in which one of the heroines in the story throws a bomb right into this pond. Apparently, the film crew didn’t get the requisite from the water, and as a result the whole area was disturbed.

The officer did not spread about other emergencies that may have happened at the pond. Maybe he didn’t want to annoy me before the raid, or maybe nothing serious happened there anymore. But just in case, he warned that the only weapons of the policemen during the identification of violators of the regime of self-isolation - personal charm. You can only talk with citizens and persuade them to go home.

Freedom of movement

In the patrol with which I went to the pond, there are two employees of the 2nd operational police regiment of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the city of Moscow: a woman with the rank of senior lieutenant and a man - a sergeant. They are equipped in accordance with the latest requirements: face masks, gloves on the hands, and on the tablet - profiles for violators.

According to the senior lieutenant, violators of the self-isolation regime respond to requests to leave the embankment normally, although sometimes they are rude.

“Yesterday a couple of such people came across. But I try to be sympathetic. We are all different, ”the officer says.

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After a couple of minutes, we began to come across walkers: mostly they were mothers with children. When asked why they were on the street, they usually answered that they were "tired of sitting at home and went to the pharmacy or to the store."

“I understand you very much, it’s true, but for now, it’s probably better to go for walks on the balcony,” the senior lieutenant told them, holding out a questionnaire to fill out a notice that Moscow had introduced a self-isolation regime.

The police did not approach the dog lovers - you can walk pets at a distance of no more than 100 m from the house.

Meanwhile, some walkers, seeing our patrol, tried to avoid meeting, crossed to the other side of the pond and fell into the hands of another outfit. But there were those who immediately went on the attack themselves.

“Why don’t you keep a distance of one and a half meters?” There are three of you, consider that the crowd is walking, ”they said and recalled article 27 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which refers to the right to freedom of movement.

In response, the police said very calmly that they were not going to detain or fine anyone.

“This is a simple request, please, treat everything more responsibly,” law enforcement officials asked. “At least for the sake of other citizens who might get sick.”

The reptilians are to blame

Violators of self-isolation identified during the raid can be divided into several groups. The first is mothers with children who are tired of sitting at home. The second - aggressive advocates of rights and freedoms, who consider the regime of self-isolation illegal. The third - athletes who are afraid to wither in four walls without running in the fresh air. But there were also those who did not believe in the existence of a coronavirus.

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For example, 69-year-old Alexander told the police that he was a doctor of traditional medicine and knows for sure that there is no coronavirus.

“Well, what kind of virus is full of you,” he smiled, filling out a questionnaire. “I’m drinking tea, berries, I make infusions with decoctions - I’m definitely not going to get sick.”

A coeval specialist in traditional medicine, stopped by the police later, said that the coronavirus is the machinations of unknown dark forces.

“My granddaughter says:“ Grandmother, don’t need to go outside, you can’t, ”said a RT woman. “But she’s still stupid, small, she believes everything.” Well, here you are? I tell you as a doctor, I have an education - do not believe what they say about the virus! And your mask is also nonsense! So put a clove under the tongue and suck it - and then nothing will happen. "

According to the police, every day they face dozens of people who seriously assure that there is no epidemic of coronavirus, but there is a world conspiracy, as a result of which all people will be microchipped.

“I regularly hear that Masons, reptilians, aliens and the world government are to blame for everything,” says the senior lieutenant. “I don’t understand just what principle they choose information sources for.”

Toward half-past three the correspondent said goodbye to the police - they had to hand over the post to another outfit. Meanwhile, there were more people on the street: if at noon, within sight on the embankment, 5-10 people could be seen, then by four o'clock in the afternoon - already within 30-40. And some of them do not believe in the epidemic of coronavirus.