70 Express COVID-19 Testing Centers Working in Moscow

Moscow is expanding express testing and the service has already proved to be effective. 70 coronavirus testing centers are operating in the capital. Sergei Sobyanin said in his interview to the Nedelya V Gorode program on the Russia 1 TV Channel.

“You can visit the mos.ru website and find addresses of these centers. Those who don’t want to go to a polyclinic can undergo an express test to check their doubts if they have any disease signs. Or just to make sure that they’re healthy,” said the Moscow Mayor.

In addition to the previously opened 50 centers, now people can undergo express testing in 15 public services centers (every day from 08:00 to 20:00) and at the entrance halls of several Metro stations (from 09:00 to 21:00). They include the Tverskaya and Pushkinskaya stations (near the ticket barriers, exits Nos. 2–4), Mayakovskaya station (near the ticket barriers, exit No. 1), Turgenevskaya station (near the ticket offices, exits Nos. 3–5), Khoroshevskaya station (western entrance hall, exits Nos. 1–4), and Tretyakovskaya station (in front of the glass doors, exit No. 2).

The full list of free-of-charge express COVID-19 testing centers is available on the mos.ru portal. One can undergo this testing during the non-working days as well. It is completely free-of-charge, it is necessary to have passport and mandatory health insurance certificate (if available). As for children, parents should provide their certificate of birth. Children may undergo this procedure in presence of their parents only.

Express testing is performed using the same technology as PCR testing: they take a nasal swab, but then a biomaterial is immediately placed into a special solution and test system to get a result.

Positive express testing results do not mean that a person has the disease. In this case, a nasal swab for PCR testing is taken right at the center, without any queues or pre-appointments. The procedure is totally free of charge. Exact results will be available in one or two days. They will be sent via a text message and added into one’s electronic medical record. One should wait for their results at home. If they are positive as well, a doctor will be sent to such a patient to prescribe treatment.

In Moscow, non-working days will last from October 28 to November 7. Trade and service enterprises, public catering, sports, recreation and entertainment facilities, including film theatres, will cease their activities during this period of time. An exception is enterprises selling medicines, food products and essential goods. The remote sale of goods and provision of services will be continued as well.

Besides, enterprises have to switch 30% of their employees to remote work since October 25. City residents aged 60+ and Moscow inhabitants with chronic diseases who have neither undergone vaccination nor had COVID-19 in the past six months should stay at home. These requirements will be in force up to February 25, 2022.