Fine for Song, ARVI Spike, Power Outages: Voronezh Digest

The incidence of ARVI in Voronezh Oblast has crept up, the regional office of Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) reported. This is a traditional spike after long holidays, when people return to their collectives, having picked up various viruses — and begin actively exchanging them. Almost every second person who has gone to bed with a fever under a doctor«s supervision is a child. The grim statistics and basic principles on how to protect yourself from seasonal infections and their complications are in our material.

By the way, what about remote learning for Voronezh schoolchildren, which was introduced on Monday because of the severe frost? Will it be canceled or not? We found out from the city administration and the regional Ministry of Education — details here.

Continuing with the cold weather topic. Residents of Dalniye and Blizhniye Sady (villages near Voronezh) continue to send SOS signals: no power, temperatures outside around -30°C (-22°F), and the temperature in residential buildings has already dropped below zero. Meanwhile, the regional Ministry of Housing and Utilities reports on yet another meeting and throws up its hands: «We are not to blame here, the networks are old, they can»t handle it, they need modernization.« The director of the network company »Kvartal,« Ivan Popenkov, tries to blame everything on the residents — they consume too much, let them pay for improvements themselves. Officials promise to calculate the required amount this week and continue to investigate — according to the serious conclusion of the Minister of Housing and Utilities Evgeny Bazhanov, »there are no simple solutions here.« The gardening community»s nerves are frayed: «Tomorrow we will be waiting for pensioners to be carried out feet first.»

If you are among those who like to listen to music loudly — for example, in the car — urgently check your playlist. And if you find something like any Verka Serduchka (Ukrainian pop star) and other anti-patriotic elements, mercilessly delete them. Of course, unless you want to go to court and pay a fine of 50,000 rubles (about $556 at current rates) for damaging the image of the Russian Army. At least two music-loving discreditors in Voronezh Oblast have already paid.

More news from the courts. Remember the shocking story about a Voronezh physical education teacher accused of molesting schoolgirls? The investigation continues, and since the initial period of detention in the pre-trial detention center (SIZO) for the teacher has expired, the issue of a preventive measure was reconsidered. Whether he was released from the detention facility or not, read here.

But here is some good news. A rehabilitation system using electronic certificates has been introduced for disabled children in Voronezh. A certain amount will be credited to the Mir card of the child«s legal representative, which can be spent on a course of necessary health-improving activities. Who is eligible for a certificate, how to get one, how much money is involved, and what exactly it can be used for — we found out the answers to the main questions from the Social Fund and reported all the details.

We also have advice from a psychologist for those who are currently suffering from seasonal blues and can«t figure out how to make it to their vacation. Or at least to the weekend. Say it»s all a whim and laziness? If you think so, you«re lucky. But in fact, a gloomy and depressed state during the change of seasons — at the end of winter, late autumn — is not a fiction but a real psychological problem. How to help yourself or a loved one, when to see a specialist because it has turned into serious depression? Simple and effective recommendations from Voronezh psychologist Artyom Sazykin will definitely come in handy.