St. Petersburg is located next to Finland, in a similar climate zone.
About the same number of people live in Finland as in St. Petersburg (more than 5 million).
At the end of December 2021, the situation with the incidence of coronavirus infection was not very good both in Finland and in St. Petersburg.
Over a period of 7 days (from December 15 to December 21), 14,259 people fell ill in Finland, and 14016 in St. Petersburg.
Similar situation.
December 25 is a big holiday in Finland - Christmas. These days in Finland (many tourists come to Lapland).
In St. Petersburg (in Russia), the New Year is a big holiday. Many tourists come to St. Petersburg in late December - early January.
To combat the spread of coronavirus infection, the St. Petersburg government planned to restrict the operation of restaurants (and shops). It was assumed that all restaurant customers were required to have a QR code starting December 27, 2021. (The QR code confirms vaccination or previous Covid disease.)
The St. Petersburg government agreed to meet the requests of the restaurant business and postponed the introduction of restrictions. The restrictions will take effect after the holidays, from January 02, 2022. Also, cafes, bars and restaurants are allowed to work on the night of December 31 to January 1 (from 23:00 December 31 to 06:00 January 1).
In a similar situation, the Finnish government acted differently. Restrictions on the operation of restaurants are introduced before the holidays, before Christmas. (Starting December 24, restaurants will be closed at 22:00. Starting December 28, 2021, restaurant opening times will be slightly limited.)
A similar situation - different solutions. Which one is better? We will see this in January, when the incidence statistics are known.
Restrictions need to be introduced, few people doubt this. But are restaurants really places where the coronavirus is spreading?
How has the situation changed in January 2022? We checked the statistics.
In Finland - +55 994 - confirmed infections in 7 days As of January 23, 2022.
In St. Petersburg - +45534 - new cases for 7 days as of January 23, 2022.
It seems that the restriction of restaurants did not have much effect.