The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has brought about a new economic reality, to which every economic entity must adapt, regardless of the scale: within a region, a country, or the whole world. The article examines the regional economic mechanism in the context of the pandemic in the context of the interaction of the market mechanism of self-development and the control influence of the regional authorities. The destabilization of the economic situation in the regions as a result of the pandemic and related restrictions poses the problem of revising the main directions of regional policy To achieve the set goals and objectives, the general methods of empirical and theoretical research were used: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, generalization, description. Three spheres play a key role in the economy of Pavlodar region: industry, trade and transport. Just how to remain positive dynamics in terms of industrial production and maintained the services will depend on the development of the region, the main indicators which are discussed in this article through the prism of the events in the context of the pandemic. The necessary health measures taken in response to the pandemic have led to a severe reduction in mobility and are accompanied by high economic costs. The quarantine measures have had a direct impact on businesses, especially microbusinesses. To support this sector, tax incentives were provided, lending was expanded, and measures were taken to further facilitate the business environment. The article reflects only a small list of issues that required changes in the economic mechanism in the context of the pandemic and the introduction of restrictive measures, as well as the strengthening of the influence of external control on the economy. At the same time, the state as whole and individual regions, taking into account their potential and the actual situation in the economy, need to find an optimal balance between the prohibitions and restrictions imposed to ensure the safety of human health and the preservation of the economy in a functional mode, work and income of employees. This problem of finding a balance between prohibitive and permissive measures requires further analysis. At the same time, the state needs to develop and apply tools of a systematic nature, focused on the long term.