Europe 1 with AFP 3:34 p.m., October 20, 2021

The Russian president on Wednesday ordered a big nonworking week in early November in the country.

Vladimir Putin also implored the many recalcitrant to be vaccinated in an attempt to contain an outbreak of Covid-19 out of control.

Une annonce et un appel : Vladimir Poutine s'est exprimé sur la flambée épidémique du Covid-19 en Russie, avec des records quotidiens de décès en ce moment. D'abord, le président russe a ordonné mercredi une semaine de congés payés du 30 octobre au 7 novembre pour tenter de juguler la vague épidémique meurtrière dans le pays. La semaine du 30 octobre au 7 novembre coïncide avec les vacances scolaires russes et seuls les 1, 2 et 3 novembre étaient ouvrés, du fait de jours de week-end et de jours fériés.

Les semaines chômées plutôt que le confinement

In the past, the Russian president has several times decreed periods of paid vacation in an attempt to curb the epidemic.

Announced for a short period, these nonworking periods have sometimes been extended to long weeks.

Vladimir Poutine has always preferred this measure, intended to limit the movement of people and therefore of the virus, rather than confine the population, an unpopular restriction which also risks slowing down the fragile economic recovery.

Vladimir Poutine also implored the Russians, very recalcitrant, to be vaccinated.

"Please be responsible," he said, "there are only two ways to get out of this (epidemic) time: either by getting sick or by getting vaccinated."

He called Russia's low vaccination rate "dangerous".

More than 1,000 dead Wednesday

The Head of State also called for speeding up screening and strengthening the isolation measures for contact cases.

The Russian president also gave the regions the possibility to start earlier or to extend the week of leave if the epidemic situation warrants it.

Sign of the gravity of the situation, the country, which is already the most bereaved in Europe, recorded Wednesday a new record of daily deaths due to Covid-19, with 1,028 deaths, as well as 34,073 contaminations, according to government figures.

Russia has been facing an epidemic outbreak since June that the authorities have not been able to control, under the combined action of the Delta variant of the virus, very contagious, a sluggish vaccination and weak health restrictions.