Tatarstan residents start QR businesses: how citizens take advantage of introduction of restrictions
Any whim for your money
Tatarstan residents are quickly adapting to the new reality — a life with QR codes. While some are complaining about being taken away the possibility of having fun, and first of all it is those who haven’t received a vaccine against coronavirus, others are taking advantage of the situation to make money. Those the QR codes have been in force only since 11 October, enterprising residents of the republic who are ready to go to shopping malls and other places with the pass system and do any task have already posted ads on the Internet.
The Tatarstan QR businesspeople’s starting price is 300 rubles. But the bill includes not only the service itself — one will have to pay for additional functions too. In general many indicate the pay is negotiable, it depends on the amount of tasks.
It is noteworthy that people with QR codes are ready to do any task. Realnoe Vremya managed to contact one of such Kazan entrepreneurs. In answer to the correspondent’s question if he was ready to go to a shopping mall, to buy things, bring them to the client to try them on, take them back to the store, the answer was affirmative without hesitation with a detailed description of how much and what for he asked money for. The total amount of such work will cost a Kazan citizen’s wallet without QR code 700 rubles, that’s to say, twice higher than the starting price indicated in the ad.
Another Kazan entrepreneur claimed that his salary depended on the amount of things that needed to be bought and the distance he would have to cover on his way to the shopping mall and the client’s place. In general he is ready to bring everything his car can hold.
Analogous QR services are offered in Naberezhnye Chelny too. There is a desire to help citizens of the lorry city and pick up their orders in shopping malls even though large purchases are meant.
QR professions
Tatarstan people who haven’t been vaccinated against coronavirus and haven’t had the disease have had to forget shopping in malls since Monday. They don’t have QR codes, which means they won’t be allowed to enter shopping malls. The latter have to care about the control themselves, due to this, there have appeared vacancies of QR code controllers.
Mega, Trade Assembly on Yamashev Street and Azinsky business centre are looking for a specialist who will verify QR codes. One will have to work from the opening to the last client, so to speak, to the closing. These establishments are ready to pay the inspectors who don’t permit violations 1,600 rubles per shift, or up to 30,000 rubles a month.
Some employers meanwhile are looking for ordinary workers with QR codes. In Kazan, for instance, Megastroy has published such requirements for a vacancy of a stocker.
No alternative to QR-code reality
Residents of the republic learnt about the introduction of QR codes in Tatarstan on 11 October last week. Now one can enter public catering establishments, be provided services at sports venues, in swimming pools, gyms, water parks, be in shopping malls, commercial entertainment centres and complexes and retail non-food stores on an area of more than 400 square metres only with a QR code that vaccinated people and those who had COVID-19 receive.
Restaurateurs and shopping malls turned out to be unhappy about the tightened COVID-19 restrictions. They fear client traffic will suddenly shrink. Nowadays, the number of unvaccinated people in Tatarstan, which means those who cannot go shopping in shopping malls or eat in a cafe, is higher than those who have been inoculated. By the way, 53% of surveyed Tatarstan residents don’t like the system of QR codes.
32,5% of Tatarstan respondents who believe the measure will have an effect approve of the authorities’ decision. Representatives of science and education, construction and real estate, IT and telecommunications account for the majority of supporters of the authorities’ initiative. Mainly lawyers, people working in medicine and pharmaceutics are against the QR codes.
In reply to complaints and discontent, the Kazan Kremlin claims that there is no other option. Nothing is planned to be cancelled yet. “Can coronavirus be put off? Can the spread of the infection be put off? To give the infection a month and say: ‘Infection, come on, don’t spread for a month, and we will gradually be vaccinated,” said head of the Tatarstan president’s press service Liliya Galimova in answer to the question if the Tatarstan authorities would respond to restaurateurs’ petition to postpone the introduction of QR codes.
The Tatarstan office of Russia’s consumer rights protection watchdog explained that the system was introduced, firstly, to increase the number of people vaccinated against coronavirus, secondly, to reduce contacts in crowded people, thus reducing the spread of the COVID-19 incidence.
The first results of the efficacy of the QR code system are expected to appear in two weeks.