A feast during a pandemic: how Russian regions will celebrate the New Year

Daria Voznesenskaya

Will there be corporate events?

Rospotrebnadzor recommended not to hold New Year's corporate parties in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. However, so far in the regions the situation is developing in different ways. Somewhere, like in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the authorities have banned festive events with the participation of company employees, and somewhere, like in Karelia, there is still no clear understanding of what will happen in a month. However, even there, according to Karelinform, all public events can be canceled.

But still, the management of most companies already understands that they are not ready to be held responsible for the massive infection of employees during the holiday. So, in the Volgograd region, where there is still no strict ban on mass New Year's events, companies are still in no hurry to book places in cafes and restaurants. “ In this situation, it’s better to“ overlook ”, we even canceled all the traditional excursion trips for the team for the January holidays. There will be no official corporate parties either. I'd better compensate people for this with bonuses. And if someone decides to mark in the office in small groups, I will not interfere”, - one of the leaders of a large company in the oil and gas sector shared in a conversation with NovostiVolgograda.

In addition, some firms simply do not have the funds during the crisis to arrange corporate events. For example, in Orenburg, some companies decided to limit themselves to the delivery of pizza or other food to the office, 56orb.ru reports.

At the same time, some restaurants are not confused by the situation with the coronavirus. In particular, in the Belgorod region catering offers various options for holding New Year's corporate parties. For example, the Belogorye restaurant advertises the Visa-Free Cruise program, and the Straw is ready to prepare a New Year's corporate dinner for guests with Ded Moroz and Snegurochka, Bel.ru writes.

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, where the situation with the coronavirus is much worse, online corporate events are gaining popularity. “The event resembles a television program, but you don't just watch it as a spectator, but become a direct participant. You can leave comments and feedback about what is happening on the stage, participate in various activities, contests, games",- said Dmitry Kikeyev, founder of the EventNN.ru portal, to NewsNN.

The cost of an online corporate event, he said, depends on the number of items of expenditure. For example, if a stage is built for an event, where artists play, where light, sound, videographers and a director are needed, then the price tag for such a corporate event may well be comparable to the usual one.

“We have a friendly team and we celebrate all the holidays with fun. This year the director decided that we would not have a corporate party in honor of the New Year. At first everyone was upset, but after one of the employees fell ill with coronavirus, they came to their senses. It's all right, after all. We came up with the idea of celebrating the New Year online, right on the evening of December 31st. It's even more interesting, you won't need to dress up anywhere, everyone will be at home. This is one of the conditions. Let's congratulate each other, clink glasses with champagne on the screen. I think this will be enough this year, ”an employee of the pharmacy network shared her story with TagilCity.ru.

In Bashkiria, officials also refused to hold corporate events. The administrations of the two largest cities of the republic - Ufa and Sterlitamak - Mkset reported that due to the epidemiological situation, the idea of a New Year's celebration was not even discussed.

To the chimes in a restaurant?

But the possibility of celebrating the New Year in a restaurant is questioned in almost all regions of the country, since local authorities have already banned the work of catering after 22: 00-23: 00. This is due to the fact that many establishments at night prefer to arrange various entertainment events - parties and discos, where no security measures are observed during a pandemic. However, the ban, most likely, will not be lifted on the night of December 31 to January 1. According to the owners of restaurants and cafes, this restriction will deal a significant blow to business. In this regard, many are ready to violate the prohibitions. Although in this case, there is a high probability of running into a large fine.

“Here, as they say, pan or disappear. And our choice, in my opinion, is obvious. If the restaurants are set in unimaginable conditions, to work on New Year's holiday until 22:00, then we will act like kamikaze. The risk in this case is justified. On one side there is a clear loss of business, on the other - the possibility that no one will notice the open restaurant”, - says the Rostov restaurateur.

Another interlocutor of RostovGazeta said that the work of some restaurants is divided into two legal entities - the sole proprietor records the sale of all dishes, and the LLC - alcohol. Accordingly, two checks are issued to visitors. And since the fine for individual entrepreneurs is somewhat lower, it is more profitable for restaurants to allow people to come with their own alcohol.

In addition, in Rostov, some entrepreneurs are ready to take another tricky step - renting out space to an individual. In this case, the responsibility is shifted to the latter, and the fine is much lower.

Residents of the Stavropol Territory also cherish the hope that the restrictions will still be bypassed. Thus, the interlocutor of NewsTracker said that it is possible to order a restaurant on a turnkey basis , that is, to go into the institution, and after 22:00 it can be locked.

In the Volgograd region, by the way, they are already doing this. The well-known bar in the city of Volzhsky on 40 Let Pobedy Street from the main entrance is open until 23:00. “Some clients are demonstratively displayed and the sign is extinguished. And then ... On the windows - blackout curtains, on the door a lock ... and the party continues. The late clients are released from the back door. These are the “protective” measures. In such a bar with resourceful staff, you can celebrate the New Year, "- write" NovostiVolgograda ".

“ The situation with the coronavirus is aggravating, the authorities are obliged to take measures, but it is quite obvious, including, I believe, for the authorities, that this business area will not survive the second lockdown. Now it is even more vulnerable than it was in the spring, because those who were able to survive the quarantine and open up paid a considerable price for it and are now trying to somehow recover", - VostokMedia quotes the words of the head of the Far Eastern Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers Roman Ivanischev.

In conditions of limited catering and the impossibility of celebrating the New Year there, in a number of regions, country houses are popular. “The accents have shifted towards country houses, country complexes, where there is a festive hall and there is no risk that a district police officer will suddenly appear and will disperse them, ” restaurateur Nurislam Sharifulin said in a conversation with Inkazan.

According to the president of NP "Guild of Realtors of Tatarstan" Andrey Savelyev, the price tag for renting apartments and cottages is at the level of last year. However, depending on the date, it may rise. After December 25, the cost of renting an apartment will double, and cottages - up to five times.

“In April, we celebrated the company's birthday, because everything was closed, we had to get out and rent a cottage. Everything went well, no one got sick. We will do the same for the new year , ”an employee of one of the Tyumen companies told the newspaper Our City.

By the way, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, where residents face a fine for a massive walk along the street on New Year's Eve, there are no more places in most tourist centers. “The number of requests for rest has not decreased - it has increased,” said Sofia Pirogova, director of the Gray Horse equestrian club. The same situation with demand is observed in the Tyumen region.

But what about Santa Claus?

The situation in the event industry is also difficult. In most regions where children's matinees are allowed, kindergarten staff will play Santa Claus and Snow Maiden. Therefore, only the home call niche remains open for animators. They are in no hurry to raise prices, wishing to earn at least something in a difficult economic situation. However, it should be understood that even if Santa Claus brings you a negative test for coronavirus, this does not mean that he has not become infected - after all, he bypasses several families per day, which means that the risk of catching the coronavirus is great.

“In connection with the pandemic, parents are cautious, look at the health of their children, at the general situation. Therefore, ordering a holiday in two or three days is the norm in the current reality, ”says the Tagil Grandfather Frost Viktor, who is not going to put on protective equipment, but plans to limit himself only to hand treatment. “ I think none of Santa Clauses will pull on masks. It is better if they are still on children. And it is enough for animators to simply limit contact with children”, - the source of TagilCity.ru believes.

In Tyumen, animators are ready to put on masks if the performance lasts less than an hour. But the Volgograd mass entertainer, who earns money as Santa Claus according to the "gray" scheme, said that he is not afraid of any restrictions and prohibitions if there is a demand. To make money, he is ready to keep conspiracy, use only proven Snow Maidens, dress up in a suit in the entrance or in the customer's hallway.

Omsk Santa Clauses hope that beards will protect them and their clients from coronavirus infection. They also do not plan to wear masks. But mittens, traditionally, are both on Santa Claus and on Snegurochka. And yet, feeling the threat from them, the Omsk Rospotrebnadzor wants to prohibit calling New Year's animators at home, Gorod55 writes.

But in Orenburg, New Year's animators are ready to put on masks at the request of their parents. However, what it will look like is anyone's guess. Also, according to the organizers of the holidays, they can make changes to their programs. For example, do not put children on the lap of Santa Claus. If the situation with the pandemic is very difficult, the animators will switch to online congratulations.

Father Frosts and Snow Maidens in Udmurtia are much better prepared, Udm-info reports. According to Ksenia Tsurpalenko, a representative of the Entertainment Industry company, designer masks were sewn, which became part of the animators' New Year's costumes.

By the way, in Rostov, Santa Clauses have already begun to refuse visiting children at home. It will be possible to see the fairy-tale character online and at New Year's performances in theaters, which will be held according to the planned schedule with all the necessary security measures.

What about relaxing outside your home region?

In conditions of uncertainty, Russians buy tours only for the coming dates. Firstly, many are afraid of getting sick before the trip, secondly, no one wants to get infected on vacation or quarantine upon returning, and thirdly, sometimes there is only enough money for "last minute" vouchers.

“ If earlier our tourists started planning their New Year holidays in June, then this year tours are booked no earlier than two weeks in advance. We are now actively selling our resorts, as the demand for trips abroad has dropped somewhat, "- said the representative of the Orenburg travel agency SEVEN-TRAVEL.

Now from Russia you can fly to Turkey, Tanzania, Maldives, UAE and Cuba - not the most budgetary destinations. “ There are already cases when people were tested here, they had a negative test, but arrived in Cuba and for some reason it was positive. And this story begins: isolation, spoiled vacation, re-test ... I consider it a roulette and for now I discourage my tourists”, - says Yekaterina Rybkina, a representative of the Izium-Tour travel agency in Nizhny Novgorod.

“We organize tours to nearby regions: these are the mountains, the sea, but even on these weekend tours, the number of people leaving has sharply decreased, there are no corporate trips, children's trips. There are only tourists left who go somewhere themselves, but this is probably one-third of what it was last year, even", - says Georgy Kondratyev, director of the Alex-Tour and Comfort-bus travel company.

And in one of the travel agencies of Nizhny Tagil, there is not a single request for holidays abroad during the winter holidays. Others note that the bulk of bookings for New Year's vouchers are expected in December.

In terms of domestic tourism, prices for popular destinations soared by about 30%. This is understandable, the tourism industry is trying by all means to patch holes in budgets after the lockdown. “Regarding Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana - prices have risen strongly. Roughly speaking, "Gorki Gorod" in a normal budget apartment for two with a flight from Nizhny Novgorod will cost about 100 thousand rubles. For a week. It is expensive. Last year there were 65-70 thousand”, - Rybkina noted.

Also in the regions it is noted that this year the Sheregesh ski resorts and the Elbrus resorts are in great demand. “ Moscow and St. Petersburg are lowering the bar this year, because their museums are closed, there are many restrictions. Because of this, the flow will be less. Sochi this season is very well asked, there will even be a direct flight Omsk - Sochi for the first time in a long time, "- say in the Omsk travel agency "Discovery".