KYIV – The Cabinet of Ministers, meeting on March 25, imposed an emergency situation regime on the entire territory of Ukraine, extending the coronavirus quarantine that was expected to end on April 3 to April 24. At the time of the government’s announcement, there were 113 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with four deaths, in Ukraine.
“It is planned to introduce the emergency situation regime for 30 days. Accordingly, we also plan to extend all quarantine restrictions for 30 days, until April 24. Please do not confuse the emergency situation with a state of emergency. An emergency situation does not limit the constitutional rights of citizens, but only consolidates the efforts to combat the coronavirus,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The measure could be extended as necessary, he added.
The head of government noted that 113 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases had already been recorded in Ukraine and said the number of infected patients would further increase, so measures must be taken. Coronavirus has been reported in the city of Kyiv and 13 oblasts.
Additionally, the Cabinet of Ministers endorsed a decree to properly equip the checkpoints in emergency situation zones with mandatory sanitary inspection of citizens, allowing passage only after a medical examination of persons and disinfection of vehicles; to ensure thorough disinfection of all premises, roads and sidewalks; and to assist the underprivileged through the involvement of social services, the community and volunteer organizations. Earlier, the emergency situation regime was introduced in the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, Ternopil, Lviv and Cherkasy oblasts.
Kyiv was the first city where quarantine measures were introduced. The metro, the main transport hub of Ukraine’s capital, has been shut down for the second time in Kyiv’s history. The first time this happened was for three days during the culmination of the Revolution of Dignity. Now the metro has not been working for a week, and it is entirely possible that its service may be stopped for months.
The decision to halt underground service as a quarantine measure resulted in hundreds of people waiting for buses, trolleybuses and trams at stations, with crowding much denser than in the metro. In the first week of the quarantine, people could board public transport with a maximum of 10 passengers inside. Beginning with the second week, it was possible to use public transportation only with special cards issued to workers of strategic enterprises and medical personnel. Those exclusive cards provided another chance for speculation, as some people collected more cards than needed and then resold them.
All educational institutions and most employers shifted all activities online. The streets of Ukraine’s capital are empty, because most of the population is self-isolating in their homes. All shopping malls, cinemas, theaters, restaurants and cafes are closed. Public events are forbidden. The National Police have the authority to fine individuals or companies that organize events or gather in large numbers.
Transport connections between cities are canceled. Therefore, airports (except Boryspil, which is greeting evacuees), and railway and bus stations are closed. It is possible to travel within Ukraine only by private car or by using ridesharing services like BlaBlaCar. For most Ukrainians, this means they can only be in four locations: at home, or in a supermarket, pharmacy or hospital.
Minister of Health of Ukraine Illia Yemets earlier said he favors introducing a state of emergency in Ukraine. “I spoke about this from the first day of my work in the government. It had to be done from the very beginning. If it had been done, then there wouldn’t have been such a spread [of the disease], which is now increasing exponentially,” he said in an interview, according to the press service of the Ministry of Health. According to Mr. Yemets, to effectively combat the spread of COVID-19 in Ukraine, all Ukrainians must make a conscious decision to minimize contacts with others, observe hygiene rules and follow the advice of the Health Ministry.
After the government’s declaration of the emergency situation, the Ministry of Health published a statement commenting on what changes will take effect: “[Minister] Yemets initiated tightening of restrictive measures to fight the coronavirus more effectively. The resolution, initiated by Yemets, stipulates that health-care institutions will have the right to mandatory medical examination of persons who have symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been in contact with persons diagnosed with COVID-19 if those persons refuse to undergo a voluntary examination; to order compulsory hospitalization of such persons; to impose quarantine on persons diagnosed with COVID-19 who are voluntarily evading treatment.”
This decision allows authorities to force Ukrainians into hospitals if they have symptoms of coronavirus. However, observers point out that the measures could have the opposite effect: if healthy people are forced into hospitals, the chance of infections will increase.
Prime Minister Shmyhal noted that the government is acting on its established plan to combat the spread of coronavirus. In addition, it is working with international partners on this issue. On March 24, the first video call was held with Chinese doctors who shared their experience in battling the pandemic. Also, the Cabinet of Ministers and Naftogaz of Ukraine have approved a decision to cut the wholesale gas price for the population. “Together with NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, we have provided all the conditions for reducing the gas price by approving the decision to reduce the wholesale price by 14 percent [in March]. We expect relevant actions from local authorities so that people can see this reduction in their utility bills next month,” Mr. Shmyhal said. Work is also under way with the Presidential Office to increase COVID-19 test deliveries to Ukraine.
“We begin a new week of fighting coronavirus with good news,” said President Zelenskyy in his address earlier this week. “Tonight, our first cargo plane from China landed in Boryspil [Kyiv’s international airport]. It delivered to Ukraine polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test systems, as well as rapid tests, ventilators, masks, protective suits and much more. This cargo will be distributed throughout the regions of our country and provided to hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, police, border guards and our military. This is only the first batch of what we need. Active and continuous work is under way to bring additional PCR test systems, respirators, masks, rapid tests and ventilators to Ukraine from China, South Korea and many other countries already this week,” the president explained.
Previously Mr. Zelenskyy had reported that 1 million COVID-19 tests would be transported to Ukraine. But something went wrong and 250,000 of them arrived at Boryspil. Now Mr. Zelenskyy does not cite numbers in his promises concerning tests, ventilators and masks. “Our motto in recent weeks is: ‘We’ll get enough sleep after coronavirus,’” said Ukraine’s president, who indeed looked sleepy as he addressed the nation.
At its meeting on March 25, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the criminalization of transport of anti-epidemic goods across the customs border of Ukraine. Those engaged in the illegal export of anti-epidemic goods will be criminally liable. “This is a necessary step to secure the domestic market’s anti-epidemic supplies. We hope that the Verkhovna Rada will support our initiative in the near future,” commented Prime Minister Shmyhal.
While Ukraine’s Parliament considers the date of its next plenary session, news about infected deputies continues to appear. As of March 25, five members of the Verkhovna Rada have confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) has appealed to the Verkhovna Rada to refrain from discussing and voting on issues that could cause social tensions and controversial reactions in society during the time of national quarantine restrictions. (See the UWC statement on page 4 of this issue.)
“We share the concern of civil society that adopting politically and socially controversial decisions, including those concerning land reform, Ukrainian language and information space issues, may provoke mass protests and endanger the health and lives of Ukrainian people. Adopting such decisions in an emergency situation creates a threat of long-term destabilization in Ukraine,” UWC President Paul Grod stated.
The coronavirus pandemic that has spread to nearly every country in the world is growing, the World Health Organization said on March 23. “The pandemic is accelerating,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing from the organization’s Geneva headquarters. “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach 100,000 cases, 11 days for second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.”
Mr. Tedros said he’ll be asking the G-20, the international group of government and central bank leaders, to ramp up production of personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses, and to avoid placing export bans on the life-saving gear. The WHO had already been asking suppliers of protective gear to prioritize sending the equipment to the regions most affected by the virus and discouraged stockpiling of protective gear by the general public.
“We need unity among the G-20 countries who have more than 80 percent of the global GDP,” Mr. Tedros said. “If we don’t prioritize protecting health workers, many people will die because the health worker who could have saved their lives is sick.”
As of March 25, a total of 436,481 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 was registered worldwide, of which 19,643 were fatal and 111,889 were recoveries. The most significant numbers of lethal outcomes are confirmed in Italy, Spain, Chin, and Iran. For several days now, China has reported few or zero new domestic cases of the coronavirus, claiming success in controlling the outbreak that just one month ago saw thousands of confirmations each day.
In his address to the people of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said: “And the traditional advice of what to do during the quarantine. Summer is coming; therefore, it is time to take care about your physical fitness. You can easily find many home workout videos online. According to doctors, physical fitness is needed by all, especially today. But without fanaticism and chasing after records. Keep well, fellow Ukrainians! I wish you 36.6 [the normal body temperature in Celsius]! Let’s take care of ourselves! Save Ukraine!”