QR Codes May Be Introduced in Moscow Restaurants and Retail Stores

Starting Monday, October 19, a visitor registration system has been implemented in Moscow’s nightlife venues. All clubs, bars, and discos in the city are now required to display QR codes at the entrance, which all visitors must scan. Establishments that refuse to display a QR code face fines of up to 500,000 rubles.

According to a decree by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, the visitor registration system will be in effect from October 19 to November 1 of this year. This measure serves as an alternative to the complete closure of nightlife venues during the coronavirus pandemic. As previously explained by Alexey Nemeryuk, head of the Moscow Department of Trade and Services, in an interview with “Echo of Moscow,” the requirement currently applies only to venues with nighttime entertainment programs, where it is difficult to enforce social distancing.

However, in an interview with restaurateur and Hurma Management Group head Dmitry Levitsky, Nemeryuk stated that the visitor registration system could also be introduced for non-food retail stores, restaurants, and beauty salons. For this to happen, the system must prove effective and be well received by city residents.

“If the check-in system is well received by the community, Muscovites, and visitors to the capital, and if we reach a stable level of detected cases and hospitalizations, we can proceed calmly. But this needs to be tested. If the system works, it’s possible that other sectors will join in—such as beauty salons, non-food stores, or restaurants,” Nemeryuk said.

According to the head of the Department of Trade and Services, discussions are already underway with restaurateurs about introducing the QR code system.