Press Release, 16.11.2021

Photo:  Artur Gaiduk / Photo by the Press Service of the Pskov branch of Yabloko

Artur Gaiduk, a doctor and a deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly from Yabloko, commented to the Press Service of the regional branch of the Yabloko party on the proposed introduction of a system of QR codes in transport, cafes and shopping centres throughout Russia.

Artur Gaiduk supports strengthening anti-epidemic measures, because the death rate from coronavirus is very high and continues to grow. He believes that the QR code system should encourage people to vaccinate, but he believes that the state, in turn, should take up the responsibility for the possible consequences, as well as give people the right to choose a vaccine.

“The situation with the coronavirus is so bad that I support any quarantine measures that will help to slow the spread of the disease.

Many people here underestimate the danger of the situation. For example, they do not keep social distancing, do not wear masks, or wear them incorrectly. Now the mortality rate is such that quite tough measures are fully justified. I am tired of deleting from my address book the telephone numbers of my friends and acquaintances who died.

Society resisted vaccination against dangerous diseases in the past too. People do not change. A person remained the same as he/she was 100 years ago, despite any development of technology. We all tend to be suspicious of something new. When they were vaccinated against smallpox, newspapers published cartoons and wrote that people would grow horns. Today, everyone is vaccinated against smallpox, no questions arise, and if they had not been vaccinated, they would have continued to die from the wildest epidemics.

The situation is such that it is quite justified to introduce mandatory vaccination against coronavirus. However, in this case, the state must take up the responsibility for the possible consequences and compensate for them. A person should not sign a voluntary consent indicating there he/she accepts any consequences and takes up the responsibility for them.

Also, the state could stimulate vaccination by paying people at least a small reward for getting vaccinated.

In addition, it would be correct to allow to use in Russia foreign vaccines, the effectiveness and safety of which has been proven. If there is a choice, there will be more people willing to be vaccinated,” Gaiduk said.

ARTUR GAIDUK

is deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly, the Yabloko faction. Bureau member of the Pskov regional branch of Yabloko. Ambulabce doctor of the Pskov Ambulance Station