JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘They need to quarantine Moscow’; How small businesses in Russia’s capital are scrambling to stay afloat as coronavirus clobbers the economy” – Meduza
“… The news website RBC estimates that shutting down for a single day costs the average shopping and entertainment center in Moscow and the surrounding region roughly 60-155 million rubles (between $775,800 and $2 million). Fitness clubs … will lose as much as 300,000 rubles ($3,900) a day, while coffee shops in the city center will lose 100,000-200,000 rubles ($1,290-$2,585) in daily earnings. In effect, small businesses will be left without any revenue, but they’ll still be on the hook for property rental fees, taxes, and staff salaries. For many enterprises, the situation is nearly hopeless. …
Even now … despite … relief measures for small businesses announced by the government, Moscow’s hotline is still lighting up. Some callers haven’t yet heard the news and others aren’t sure what happens next. After all, somebody on the ground has to carry out these initiatives. At the very least, the operators working the phones can now offer worried business owners more than questionnaires and psychologists. …”
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