Moscow, Russia — Moscow is giving away cars in prize draw, to encourage residents to get their COVID-19 vaccine, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the nation.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that anyone over 18 who receives the first of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine from June 14 until July 11 would be automatically entered into a draw to win a car.
The five cars, worth 1 million roubles (US$13,900) each will be given away every week, said the mayor.
This effort stems from the lack of residents opting to get the vaccine, with only 1.3 million people out of a population of more than 12 million having received one dose on May 21, said Sobyanin.
The car raffle also follows Russia’s largest one-day national caseload since Feb. 13, with 14,723 new COVID-19 cases throughout the country and 7,704 cases in Moscow on Sunday, June 13.
“This is only a temporary solution,” Sobyanin said in a follow-up blog on Sunday. “To avoid new restrictions and secure a sustainable improvement of the situation, we need to significantly speed up vaccinations.”
