Moscow
When Moscow authorities closed non-essential businesses to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Boris Kupriyanov began to personally deliver books to his customers. This, he said, has helped him and his indie bookstore survive over the past two months. “In many ways this has become our salvation,” Kupriyanov, co-founder of Falanster, one of the country’s most famous independent bookshops, told AFP. “We’ve kept going only because people wanted to buy our books and help us,” he added. Many small and medium-sized businesses including Kupriyanov’s bookstore will be allowed to reopen on Monday as authorities gradually ease confinement restrictions in Russia, which has reported more than 396,000 coronavirus infections—the third-largest caseload after the United States and Brazil. Not everyone will resume operations, however.—AFP
