Schoolchildren in grades 6-11 in Moscow will switch to distance learning from October 19 to November 1, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in his blog.

At the same time, students in grades 1-5 after the end of the holidays will return to schools and continue their education in full-time mode.

“Older students are more at risk of contracting coronavirus infection.

They account for two thirds of sick children, ”the mayor explained.

In addition, according to him, the spring period of distance learning showed that high school students are quite successfully adapting to this format.

“It's harder for the younger ones.

In addition, parents cannot leave them alone with the online platform and go to work themselves, ”says Sobyanin's blog.

According to the mayor, the decision will also reduce the epidemiological burden on schools by distributing children inside buildings and minimizing their contact with each other.

In connection with the measures taken, transport cards for schoolchildren in grades 1-5 will be unblocked, while the reduced fare for senior students will continue to be suspended.

In addition, Sobyanin said that in a number of classes in the capital, it is planned to introduce a new teaching format - tutoring.

“In order to better protect older teachers and teachers suffering from chronic diseases from the threat of coronavirus infection, in two to three weeks it is planned to introduce a new teaching format in certain classes - tutoring,” Sobyanin wrote in his blog.

He noted that students and graduates of pedagogical universities will be temporarily invited to conduct lessons in schools.

It is noted that experienced teachers will provide assistance to tutors and monitor the educational process remotely as senior mentors.

The State Duma praised Sobyanin's initiative to transfer senior classes to a remote learning format.

Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, in an interview with RT, expressed the opinion that these measures should improve the epidemiological situation.

“I’m sure it will help.

Because our children are asymptomatic carriers ... Today we just need to reduce the peak incidence, so such measures are being taken, ”the deputy said.

New incidence data

Over the past day, 14,231 new cases of coronavirus infection COVID-19 were detected in Russia in 84 regions - this is the highest value since the beginning of the epidemic.

The day before, the same indicator was 13 868. Among new patients, 25.2% had no clinical manifestations of the disease.

A growing total for the entire time of the epidemic in the country, 1,340,409 cases of coronavirus infection were detected.

Of these, according to the headquarters, 1,039,705 people have recovered, including 7,920 over the past 24 hours.

At the same time, 23,205 people died in Russia from complications that developed against the background of COVID-19 and related diseases.

During the day, 239 people died.

Moscow is the leader among Russian regions in terms of the number of new cases of coronavirus - 4573. A day earlier, 4618 patients with COVID-19 were identified in the capital.

According to the headquarters, in the capital, the number of new cases of coronavirus infection over the past week is 31.7% more than the previous week.

In addition, the headquarters notes that over the past week, 15.8% more citizens with coronavirus were hospitalized in Moscow than in the previous week.

So, 1206 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized per day.

According to Rospotrebnadzor, over the entire period, over 51.8 million laboratory tests for coronavirus infection were carried out, including 436 thousand in the last day.

276,164 people remain under medical supervision.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that the situation with COVID-19 in Russia remains difficult.

"We see that today the situation remains tense, extremely tense," RIA Novosti quotes the head of the Ministry of Health.

  • RIA News

  • © Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

According to him, the population does not comply with all the recommendations that are prescribed.

As Murashko noted, citizens' compliance with epidemiological requirements is a key factor in minimizing risks.

The minister also said that a number of drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 were included in the list of vital drugs.

"A government decree has been signed to expand the list of vital and essential drugs (vital and essential drugs), it includes a number of drugs related to the treatment of a new coronavirus infection," RIA Novosti quotes the minister as saying.

He recalled that the ministry has registered drugs for the treatment of the disease.

For example, this is the antiviral drug Favipiravir, which is already approved for use in hospitals.

Murashko added that the registration procedure for the maximum prices for drugs is currently underway.