The decree "On measures to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in St. Petersburg" will cease to be in force on October 1, according to a statement published on the city administration's website. It was adopted on March 13, 2020.
The decision was made on the basis of an order from the chief state sanitary doctor for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. That order was obtained only now, although city authorities had spoken of the need to lift the restrictions as early as 2025.
At the federal level, all restrictions introduced by Rospotrebnadzor during the pandemic were lifted on July 1, 2022. The WHO declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic on May 5, 2023.
The decree provided for a ban on holding and attending public events involving more than 300 people, except those approved by the authorities; a ban on smoking hookahs in public places; and an obligation for organizers to ensure that masks were worn. Citizens over 60 were advised to wear personal protective equipment.
Under the pretext of coronavirus restrictions, St. Petersburg authorities banned pickets and demonstrations for six years: the ban on public actions remained in force while many other provisions of the decree were lifted as the virus was fought, the outlet Bumaga writes.
At the local level, "violation of coronavirus restrictions" often became a pretext for suppressing civic activity: authorities refused to approve rallies and assemblies, detained and fined participants in single-person pickets, and canceled cultural events, such as the Necronomicon festival, which was interrupted after it had already begun in November 2025.
In 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that part of the "anti-Covid" restrictions on rallies in St. Petersburg and Moscow was unlawful.