The country is organizing itself

The State Duma is increasingly turning into the legislative headquarters of the anti-virus front with multidimensional strategic thinking. On the eve of the plenary meeting, at which a package of priority laws was adopted, speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced the need to “make the most of the time”. A similar efficiency was demonstrated recently when laws were enacted to enforce the presidential message on overcoming the demographic hole.

The Chairman of the State Duma said about the need "to organize itself, to comply with the instructions of the sanitary and epidemiological services, to do everything so that the virus does not spread." He noted the importance of consolidating society in the fight against the virus. The lower house of parliament just shows an example of such self-organization. The necessary bills are passed in three readings at once, and with the preliminary approval of all parliamentary factions and through discussion in the relevant committees.

Work is going on in all directions outlined by the president in his recent address. The priority areas in the anti-virus package are two bridgeheads: social protection of the population, as well as support for small and medium-sized businesses, the most affected in a difficult epidemiological situation.

To respond urgently to the challenges associated with the spread of coronavirus infection, the government is given new powers during emergencies.

It is about empowering the government in case of emergency to exercise the powers of the coordinating body of the unified state system for preventing and eliminating emergency situations. Now the government will be able to introduce high alert or emergency situations on the territory of the country, or parts of it, is vested with the right to establish mandatory rules for the conduct of emergency situations.

The government has been given leverage to support tour operators, as well as to introduce a moratorium on bankruptcy proceedings, as the president said in his address to the nation. It is possible to regulate the handling of especially important medicines, as well as to establish restrictions on the wholesale and retail trade of medical devices for a period of no more than 90 days.

The regions are not forgotten. Amendments to the Budget Code were sent to support regional budgets, according to which a delay is granted for the payment of budget loans. We are talking about a total amount of 77 billion rubles.

The anti-virus package also allows the remote sale of prescription drugs, new rules for paying sick leave increased to the minimum wage level, and the possibility of an initial online appointment of patients via the Internet.

Amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation are extremely important, which introduce increased responsibility for violation of sanitary-epidemiological rules and quarantine.

Reality shows that not everyone has realized the danger posed by a pandemic.

Until the virus breaks out, he doesn’t peck personally by the way, not everyone is ready to believe in his threat. Many more disregard the prescriptions, deny the very fact of the danger of coronavirus, acting like refuseniks and deniers of any vaccinations. Like, it’s not at all fatal, and we’ll survive this nuisance, and if anything, the native state is obliged to pull it out of viral networks, where it will go ...

Not everyone understands that the main danger of the current pandemic is in uncontrolled chaos, when the viral processes go at such a pace and in such a progression that the development of events will become completely unpredictable. Then the growing epidemiological rampart will simply make it impossible to provide assistance and save people, and this will be followed by economic and social tsunami waves of collapse. Too much is at stake, and all over the world, and, of course, in this situation many demonstrated behavioral patterns of people are surprising. Some notorious barbecue Muscovites are worth ...

We are faced with a completely new situation when people were withdrawn from their comfort zone, from their usual way of life, hence their reactions can be completely, to put it mildly, non-standard. There is no experience of discipline, the fulfillment of precepts that are perceived as far-fetched, hence the constant reaction of denying them. Therefore, a counterbalance to the shock of a non-standard situation should be responsibility for behavior that endangers the life and health of citizens.

Now, such a reckless lifestyle of the public with reduced responsibility threatens to turn into serious fines or criminal penalties. All this is a forced tightening of measures. The viral situation should serve to develop a sense of responsibility, which was carefully forgotten, because people were persistently told that no one owed anything to anyone. But that’s exactly what it should, because the current confrontation with the viral infection offers to take care not so much about oneself as much about one’s neighbor. I forgot about it - fines of up to 1 million rubles will be recalled.

Administrative responsibility has also been registered that allows us to deal with speculative profit in a pandemic. This is an unlawful overpricing of medicines. It should be recalled that in early February, President Putin called for the license to be withdrawn from pharmacies, which, under the conditions of the coronavirus, raise prices for medical masks.

The scope of the Criminal Code is the toughening of punishment for violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules, which entailed the negligence of a mass disease or poisoning of people. With maximum sanction, up to seven years in prison, if it entails death.

In fact, all this is intended not only to help the country block the viral invasion and overcome its consequences, but also to form a renewed society that should emerge transformed by overcoming the pandemic. A society rid of old viruses inherited from recent troubled times, with increased immunity. Self-organizing and opposing chaos. With an unconditional priority on the social, with the main national orientation on the family and children for the demographic breakthrough. With vector for business support and entrepreneurial initiative. With a new effective government status thanks to expanded powers. With a hyper-efficient parliament capable of that very self-organization and the adoption of operational decisions for the long term. With people who, due to a difficult situation, should remember the civic feeling, duty and, having burnt up with it, go further with this baggage. All these developed protective mechanisms of society will be useful in the future, and not only in stressful situations.

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.