COVID-19: Russia passes new laws on tightened liability, insolvency, rents, state purchases and medicines

06/04/2020

On 1 April 2020, Federal Laws No. 98-FZ*, 99-FZ* and 100-FZ* came into force in connection with the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In particular, these laws do the following: toughen administrative and criminal liability for violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules; provide the Russian government with additional powers to introduce a high-alert regime and state of emergency; regulate the introduction of a moratorium on bankruptcy proceedings; introduce rules for deferring and reviewing rental payments; allow state and municipal procurement without observing the established competitive procedures in specific cases; and provide the Russian government with the right to establish special rules for the registration and circulation of medicines and medical devices to prevent the spread of dangerous diseases. * In Russian