MOSCOW – Valentina Konstantinova remembers well when Russia locked down for the coronavirus a year ago. Her 18-room boutique hotel, called Skazka, or “Fairytale,” was full, and within a couple of days, it had only one guest left. “I still don’t understand how people could have vanished in one day, and where,” she recalled.
The lockdown lasted six weeks, but with borders closed, her business prospects were grim. One year later, Skazka is still open — thanks to some creative thinking by its owners — but with fewer guests than before.
Russia was never fully locked down again after last spring, and as a result, its economy and some of its businesses didn't suffer as much as those in some countries during the pandemic.