The Ukrainian government will evacuate 35,479 citizens who are stuck abroad after the country’s borders shut down on March 17, according to Vladyslav Krykliy, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister.
The evacuation will take 175 special flights and cost the government $4.16 million.
Ukrainians abroad who want to come home need to contact local Ukrainian embassies to learn about their evacuation options.
Since March 17, Ukrainian air transportation and railroad connection has been halted through April 3. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in two weeks the government will assess the situation and may reopen the borders.
Since March 16, the country is also closed for all foreign nationals without temporary or permanent residency.
Drastic measures come as a response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As of March 18, over 200,000 people worldwide have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 143 countries. Over 8,000 people have died.
Ukraine so far has seen 14 cases and two deaths, but tested only over 500 people.
Out of the 230 border crossing points controlled by Ukraine, 123 remain open for freight transportation. A total of 42 border crossing points are open for Ukrainians willing to return home independently. However, they are not allowed to cross the border on foot.
In a special address to the nation on March 17, Zelensky asked Ukrainians remaining abroad to register in the government system called Drug (Friend), online or via an app. Registering and providing one’s location helps the government plan charter flights. The app can be downloaded in App Store and Google Play.
The foreign ministry has issued a list of cities from which Ukrainians can return home for free or at a substantial reduction of costs. They include, by plane: Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Berlin and Vienna. By train: Warsaw, Przemysl, Berlin, Vienna, Vilnius and Riga.
Ukraine will also provide flights from Prague and Bratislava to Poland, from which Ukrainians will board a train.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said on March 18 that the government partnered with SkyUp airlines to return Ukrainians from 14 cities at low cost prices.
Kuleba said that SkyUp will schedule special flights with discounted rates from the following cities – Paris, Alicante, Berlin, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Tbilisi, Lisbon, Munich, Naples, Frankfurt, Tallinn, Zurich, Istanbul, Barcelona and London. Tickets for the flights from these cities to Kyiv are available on the SkyUp’s website, according to Kuleba.
SkyUp has previously evacuated Ukrainians and foreigners from Wuhan on Feb. 20, and from Italy on March 15.
Ukraine’s biggest carrier, Ukraine International Airlines, will also operate charter flights to return Ukrainians home at discount prices.
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Ukraine shuts down public transportation, domestic travel, restaurants
- Kyiv intensifies quarantine, shutting down everything by supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations.
- There have been 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. The first case was identified in Ukraine on March 3.
- Two people died from the COVID-19 in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian lawmaker tested positive for COVID-19.
- Ukraine shut schools and canceled mass events starting March 12 to prevent the disease’s spread. Some schools resisted.
- Here’s how life in Kyiv is affected.
- Misinformation on coronavirus goes viral in Ukraine.
- Why the Kyiv Post isn’t making its coverage free in the times of COVID-19.
- Doctor’s advice: How to stay safe.
- Ukrainians evacuated from the disease’s epicenter in Wuhan, China spent two weeks in quarantine in a sanatorium in Poltava Oblast and were released on March 5. Their arrival in Ukraine caused unrest.
Effects on economy:
- Here’s what the virus is doing to Ukraine’s economy.
- Ukrainian businesses respond to the crisis.
- The virus disrupts the transport sector. Ukrainian airlines canceled some flights to 16 countries due to the novel coronavirus.
- The National Bank of Ukraine continued to cut the policy rate while trying to buffer the hryvnia from coronavirus panic.
