From The Times of Moscow
Cossacks
have begun patrolling a predominantly Chinese neighborhood in Russia’s
fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg in search of signs of the coronavirus, the
Znak.com news website reported Wednesday.
Russia temporarily banned entry
to Chinese nationals starting Thursday in an attempt to prevent the spread of
the disease, which has killed more than 2,000 people in mainland China.
Members
of the “Urals Cossacks” volunteer association started roving the streets of
northwestern Yekaterinburg twice a week beginning Feb. 2, its chief Gennady
Kovalyov told Znak.com.
Those found to be coughing or
sneezing are advised to visit the hospital, he said. Others are given face
masks.
“There’s no data on the success
of our campaign,” Kovalyov said. “But thanks to the masks, at least some people
won’t get infected.”
Kovalyov vowed to press on with
the patrols for as long as there is a high risk of contracting the coronavirus.
Outside China, five deaths and 827 cases have been reported so far, including
one Russian passenger of a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan.
There have been two confirmed cases within Russia, both Chinese nationals in
Siberia who have since recovered.
Similar coronavirus patrols are
active in at least two towns south of Moscow, Kovalyov added.
Russian respondents are three
times more likely to “avoid contact with people of Chinese origin or
appearance” or “avoid eating in Asian restaurants” to protect themselves from
the virus than respondents from other countries, a recent Ipsos poll said.
The Cossacks
survived near-extinction after losing to the Bolsheviks in Russia’s 1917 civil
war and have undergone a state-backed revival since the early 1990s. Since
then, the government has frequently hired them to enforce security at public
events, where they have developed a reputation for vigilantism and extralegal
actions.
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