The ban on mass events in the Nizhny Novgorod region will continue, but not for everyone
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On July 12, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the governor’s decree on high alert mode, which was in force since March 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19, was canceled. However, the ban on mass events envisaged by it was preserved and transferred to the 2022 decree on security measures. Exceptions may be made, in particular, for actions organized with the support of state authorities, cultural and sports events with up to 300 participants, and religious gatherings. The opposition believes that maintaining restrictions, given the current situation, looks logical, but if they are needed to ensure security, then there should be no exceptions to the rules.
The government of the Nizhny Novgorod region clarified the rules for holding public mass events for the period of validity of the decree of the governor Gleb Nikitin of October 28, 2022, which was issued “in connection with the introduction of martial law in the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.” This decree established a basic readiness regime in the region to ensure public safety, protect order and facilities that ensure the livelihoods of the population.
The ban on mass events “moved” into this document from the March 2020 decree on the introduction of a high alert regime in connection with the coronavirus. In the first half of 2023, despite the fact that the pandemic began to decline, restrictions remained: the regional government explained this by the fact that the World Health Organization had not yet removed the emergency status from the pandemic. In May, this status was lifted, but even after that, the authorities of the region were in no hurry to cancel the anti-COVID regime, having done this only by mid-July.
The official statement from the government of the Nizhny Novgorod region states that the ban transferred to the new decree applies to cultural and leisure, sports and physical education, public and other events with the presence of people in person, but exceptions can be made in “some cases”.
In response to a request from Kommersant, the government explained that such exceptions include outdoor commemorative events with up to 300 participants, public worship services and other religious ceremonies and meetings held in public places by decision of the head of LSG. Solemn ceremonies for registering marriages by the registry offices and campaigning events related to elections may also be allowed.
In addition, an exception may be made for cultural, sports, educational and exhibition events, outdoor sports competitions, if no more than 300 people participate in them. The list of exceptions also includes street tours for groups of up to 50 people and events organized with the support of state authorities. The decision on the possibility of this or that event is made by the operational headquarters, which includes representatives of federal, regional and municipal authorities. Earlier in the region, such a headquarters operated to combat the coronavirus, now it is to ensure security.
It should be noted that during the pandemic, local authorities, referring to the anti-COVID decree, more than once refused to public activists and politicians to organize public actions, although sports and cultural events were held in the city that gathered much more than 300 people.
In particular, several marathons were held in Nizhny Novgorod in spring and early summer, events related to granting the city the status of a youth capital, and the traditional cultural festival Capital of Sunsets began. At the same time, at the end of April, the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation was denied permission to hold a rally and a rally dedicated to the May 1 holiday and support for participants in a special military operation. According to the head of the regional party committee, vice speaker of the regional legislative assembly, Vladislav Yegorov, in both cases, officials referred to the fact that the governor’s anti-COVID decree continues to operate in the region.
Now the communist says that the abolition of anti-COVID restrictions is long overdue, although there is a certain logic in translating some of them into the new decree of the governor, “taking into account the situation in the world and in Russia.” “But it is necessary to understand that, speaking in this vein of a public mass event, we mean the accumulation of people for whom it is necessary to ensure security. And if there really is a need for such restrictions, then there should be no exceptions to the rule. Either these restrictions do not apply to anyone, or they apply to absolutely everyone. Regardless of the purpose of the event or who is holding it and under what pretext,” Mr. Yegorov is sure.
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