On April 16, a combination of grassfires and strong winds enveloped Kyiv and surrounding areas in a haze of smoke, sand, and dirt. Air quality? Hazardous. Authorities warned to people stay inside with windows closed. On April 17, the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) for Kyiv is 163, better than the previous evening’s 380, turning Ukraine’s capital into the most polluted city in the world. Some of the wildfires were around the area of the closed Chornobyl nuclear power plant north of Kyiv, while others came from Zhytomyr Oblast, west of Kyiv.
Read: As Chornobyl fires flare up again, smoke covers Kyiv
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- As of April 17: 125 people have died from COVID-19 in Ukraine; 246 people have recovered.
- 4,662 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine as of early April 17. The first case was identified on March 3.
- As of April 11, 6 Ukrainians have died from the novel coronavirus abroad; 19 recovered. 172 are currently undergoing treatment abroad.
- Ukraine has extended its quarantine measures until April 24.
- Infographic of quarantine measures in place until April 24.
- The measures shuttered most everything but hospitals, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, and other critical enterprises.
- How the Ukrainian government has been responding: TIMELINE
- Misinformation on coronavirus is going viral in Ukraine.
- Foreign Ministry: What you need to know about traveling to and from Ukraine now
- Why the Kyiv Post isn’t making its coverage free in the times of COVID-19.
- Coronavirus stops the Kyiv Post’s print edition for now.
- Where to buy masks.
Effects on the economy:
- COVID-19 is already inflicting harm on Ukraine’s economy.
- Invisible Threat Lurks Undetected: Top stories from March 27, 2020 PDF edition.
- The former minister of economy says half a million Ukrainians may lose their jobs in the COVID-19 crisis.