The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will decide whether to extend the quarantine in Ukraine by the end of this week, Ukraine’s chief sanitary doctor Viktor Lyashko said on April 17 during an interview with Radio Liberty.
Lyashko said that the government will make a final decision after Orthodox Easter celebrations from April 18-20.
“I think, on Wednesday, after a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers we will announce a decision on the further fate of our country,” Lyashko said on Inter television channel on April 17.
The current measures are set to expire on April 24, but a wide range of public officials have been prepping the nation for a longer quarantine period, likely into mid-May.
If the number of coronavirus cases keeps rising after Easter, the government will most likely extend the restrictive measures that have seen most businesses closed, pummeling an already fragile economy.
According to Lyashko, Ukraine is currently following the “optimistic scenario” for its battle with the COVID-19 pandemic. That scenario foresees no more than 2% of the population becoming infected with the coronavirus during the outbreak.
If the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow, Ukraine’s medical system cannot provide medical treatment for all citizens.
Ukrainian hospitals cannot handle the simultaneous stay of more than 3,500 patients in intensive care units, the chief sanitary doctor said.
On April 15, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmygal has said that the government will restrict public transport, including the subway until a vaccine for the virus will be found.
On April 10, Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said that the Cabinet of Ministers plans to extend the quarantine in Ukraine until early May, but a gradual easing of restrictive measures is expected.
The World Health Organization has recommended Ukraine to extend the quarantine.
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- As of April 20: 151 people have died from COVID-19 in Ukraine; 359 people have recovered.
- 5,710 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine as of April 20. The first case was identified on March 3.
- 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.
- Doctor’s advice: How to stay safe.
- 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.
