Stores may be obliged to distribute masks to customers in Russia

The National Union of Consumer Protection appealed to the Russian Government with a request to take additional safety measures for customers in grocery stores and pharmacies amid the coronavirus spread in the country. This was reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the chairman of the National Union of Consumer Protection Pavel Shapkin.

“The Union asks the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Rospotrebnadzor to give appropriate instructions to the trade on the mandatory provision of all buyers with free disposable plastic gloves and face masks. Both gloves and masks should be distributed at the entrance to the retail facilities, store employees should monitor their mandatory use by customers,” said Pavel Shapkin.

According to the chairman of the National Union of Consumer Protection, the requirements for providing customers with free disposable plastic gloves should be maintained even after the coronavirus epidemic.

The World Health Organization on March 11 announced a pandemic of a new coronavirus infection COVID-19. According to the latest WHO data, more than 1.05 million cases of infection have been recorded in the world, almost 57 thousand people have died.

As reported by the Bashinform News Agency, over the past 24 hours, 658 people fell ill with coronavirus infection in Russia. 355 people recovered from coronavirus, 45 died.

The total number of cases in Russia reached 5,389.