×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

A Moscow Family's Experience in Coronavirus Confinement

Rushing past hazmat-suit-clad officials in the Moscow airport. Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story

Sofiya Voznaya, a visual artist for Coda Story based in Moscow, has been under self-quarantine with her husband and two children after returning from Berlin during the coronavirus outbreak.

She took to Coda Story's Twitter to share their experience of home confinement "with Big Brother watching" in a time of global pandemic:

Sunday, we flew home from Berlin to surprising news: Moscow put all travelers from Germany on a Covid-19 quarantine list. So here we are, headed for a 14-day confinement.


										 					Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story
Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story

As we arrived, officials in hazmat suits were only checking passengers from Italy in the middle of the airport crowd. We grabbed our luggage and dashed out. We were ordered to self-isolate. But here's a weird thing: there was no one stopping people from taking public transport.


										 					Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story
Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story

We learned from Moscow’s hotline the terms of our bizarre “imprisonment”: don’t go out under any circumstances, except to take the trash out. Break the rules, and you face supervised quarantine, fines and prison.


										 					Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story
Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story

Thankfully, Russia’s online shopping sites are in full bloom and we could fill our fridge and cupboards with 80 [kilograms] worth of food, drinks and cat litter. But...NO! I forgot milk and coffee!


										 					Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story
Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story

Self-confinement changes everything. Take trash: far from a chore now. We toss a coin on who gets to go on a 20-meter walk. Rules are tight: has to be at night, in a mask. Moscow's cameras are watching.


										 					Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story
Sofiya Voznaya / Coda Story

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more