the government feared that the separatist restrictive policies of the governors will further exacerbate the already difficult situation in the economy. Ministers complained to the President in the regions that are not in a hurry to resume the work of enterprises, break the production chain, bringing to the business an excessive requirement, and sometimes usurp Federal powers. Vladimir Putin has several times publicly called on regional governments not to overreact and to coordinate their actions with the Federal center, but apparently built in two decades, the hierarchy in the context of a pandemic began to fail.
Vladimir Putin has been a month holds sectoral meetings, and each repeats the same scenario. Companies complain about problems that have arisen because of the restrictions, and voicing needed from their point of view anti-crisis measures and warn that it will get worse. According to the Ministry of economy, every day of quarantine, the Russian economy is losing 100 billion rubles a Decline in economic activity has already exceeded 33%. And the amount of tax revenue in April fell by a third. However, many areas such as catering, tourism, services, leisure and entertainment, paralyzed almost completely. In others, a glimmer of life, but due to the rupture of traditional chains and lack of marketing facilities (like the auto industry with the closure of dealerships) bleak prospects: how long to work in the warehouse of the enterprise can not. There are areas for which the development of the epidemiological situation in principle, it does not matter much. River shipping, the main clients are foreign tourists, can not earn anything until March next year, these are the costs of seasonality, recently told Putin, representatives of the business.
As a rule, all such meetings end with the extension of the list of affected industries. And calls for the governors to act reasonably and not to stop economy. “We have to understand what devastating consequences it may lead,” repeatedly exhorted the regional government President. Giving mayors wider powers in the Kremlin had hoped that the subjects will be able to strike a balance between protecting citizens from coronavirus and maintain the sustainability of regional economies. However, for many, the task was not tough. Realizing that in the short term, their work will be evaluated primarily in terms of morbidity and mortality, governors fright imposed such strict restrictive measures to which the government did not count on.
after the first non-working week Minpromtorg was forced to send in the letter with a call��mi to make decisions on restriction, not a suspension of activity of industrial enterprises of the continuous cycle. However, it soon became clear that by themselves, metallurgical, glass, cement and other factories can not work. For their normal operation must resume the operation of suppliers of ferrous non-ferrous metals, chemicals, consumables, components, and warehouses. And this appeared intractable problems. The head of Minpromtorg Denis Manturov publicly complained that the regions are not in a hurry to recover the production chain. Not to mention, the fact that the whole industry, catering, nonfood goods, services, car dealers – not in principle have the opportunity to “go out”. “Not all regions and respond quickly to, providing all requirements for sanepidemstantsii, enterprises gradually open. It is such a serious problem for us,” – lamented the Minister.
At the last meeting with Vladimir Putin Manturov supported by the Minister of transport, Eugene Dietrich. According to him, transport companies and labor groups are waiting for a speedy return to normal rhythm of work and in this regard, great hopes for the regional authorities and decision makers on the mitigation of the regime of self-isolation and the opening of those or other spheres of life. “I ask you to instruct the regions to prevent the introduction of overly stringent measures that impede the normal work of transport, to agree with us and with the Ministry of interior the decision on the imposition of restrictions, in particular on the movement of vehicles on Federal highways of General use”, – appealed to the President of Dietrich. He recalled that the Federal powers should be exercised by the Federal authorities. “Today, this is sometimes not so, we see some excesses”, – said the Minister. Excesses, which says Dietrich, well known to the government and the Kremlin. Putin has urged the regions not to place obstacles in the regional transport of goods and passengers. But since the permit regime in the Kremlin also seems to be supported, the governors do as they see fit.
the government acknowledged that the full picture of how the economy works, now can’t you see that the information supplied is incomplete if supplied at all. The first Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov in the presence of the President asked the governors twice a week to report at least the strategic enterprises in which mode they work: 30%, from 30% to 60%, more than 60%. Then the government will be able to see threatening the stability of bottlenecks. However, one of these bottlenecks are already known: on the horizon once again loomed dreadful and terrible payments crisis that shook Russian economy in the 90s. “whether we need these defaults to stop at the beginning, will depend on the stability of the labor groups and the stability of enterprises”, said Belousov.
Putin Himself believes that the government should act more actively and not to let the reins out of his hands. “We have a working group of the state Council headed by the mayor, but the total coordination of all work and activities on quarantine and withdrawal and the revival of the economy – should be held by the government. I very much hope that in the regions that will be heard” – supported the weakened position of Ministers by the President. Is there any effect of his words will become clear after may 11. However, some regions have already announced the extension of the regime of self-isolation and preservation of all existing restrictive measures.
