Written by Elmira Tanatarova for Mailonline

Published: November 12, 2021 at 11:49 US Eastern Time | Updated: November 12, 2021 at 12:12 US Eastern Time

For Russians who have not been vaccinated, the ability to buy beverages is about to come online, and they may soon need to prove that they have been injected with alcohol to purchase alcohol. 

A working group set up to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the Sverdlovsk region is considering banning the sale of alcohol to people who do not have a QR code showing that they have been vaccinated.

In a new initiative by local authorities, drinkers from the country who are usually known for enjoying fine wine may have to prove that they have been vaccinated before they can get vodka. 

People at the QR code check at the entrance of Passazh shopping mall in Sverdlovsk region, Russia

Artyom Bakhterev, the regional minister of the agro-industrial complex, announced the update through his Telegram channel.

He said: "We know that market participants take the initiative to enter the QR code to buy wine.

"We are ready to discuss this measure with colleagues and experts at the next meeting of the operational headquarters."

According to Vesti.ru, it was originally proposed by Yevgeny Uryupin, a restaurant owner from Yekaterinburg in the state, on his Instagram. 

He said the initiative can encourage people to get vaccinated and motivate them to reduce alcohol consumption. 

Since October 18, many regions of the country have adopted restrictive measures to respond to the growing coronavirus crisis through the QR code system. 

Notification of the QR code requirements at the entrance of the Madagascar shopping mall store in Chuvashia, Russia

In many places, public places are now only open to people who have been vaccinated, tested negative for the coronavirus, or recently recovered from Covid.

Only those who show the QR code to prove that they meet the conditions can enter. 

Some regions have also announced mandatory vaccination for people over 60 years of age.

According to Reuters, as of mid-October, only about 48 million of the 144 million Russians had been vaccinated, of which 51 million had been vaccinated once.

The country currently has the highest number of new deaths reported daily in the world.

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