Covid-19 isolation could lead to DIVORCE EPIDEMIC, according to Russian expert

It’s only April, but 2020 is certain to be remembered for more than just the fact that its first two digits match its second pair of digits. It has been one of those years in which, to paraphrase Vladimir Lenin, “decades happen.”

Now, a Russian academic has predicted a steep rise in divorce cases when couples emerge from self-isolation. Alexander Isaev said that, for some people, the coronavirus quarantine means spending more time with loved ones and improving family ties through support in the face of adversity. But for others, the experience will have been rather less pleasurable.

“[In self-isolation], negative things come up that the spouses didn’t pay attention to before,” said Isaev, who is an economics professor at Vladivostok State University. “This phenomenon exists. A husband and wife are stuck on a raft and spend a few days together. They survive, someone saves them, and afterwards they break up.”

A similar opinion has also been expressed by the chief psychiatrist of Russia’s Ministry of Health. Zurab Kekelidze explained that the country is seeing a growing number of calls to shrinks due to coronavirus. He believes that many divorced spouses will get hastily remarried on the rebound.

Currently, the majority of Russia is in lockdown after President Vladimir Putin announced the initial ‘non-working week’ until the end of April, meaning a lot of Russians have at least two more weeks left at home.

Earlier, it was reported that Chinese divorce rates shot through the roof following the end of the country’s Covid-19 quarantine. Photos shared on social media showed couples lining up at government buildings to officially register their breakups.

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