A plan to introduce tougher quarantine in Ukraine due to the spread of coronavirus infection is being developed, but it will be introduced only if the weekend quarantine does not work, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.
“This plan is indeed being developed. But this is Plan B, if the weekend quarantine does not work. We have begun a public discussion of this Plan B so that the whole country understands it. We want our steps to be clear and predictable for people and businesses. Therefore, this week we met with the city mayors twice. A meeting was held with the Council of Churches. A meeting and a discussion with business,” Shmyhal wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
The prime minister also said the mayors are being sent surveys on what anti-epidemic rules and restrictions they consider optimal. Consultations are also being conducted with epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists.
The weekend quarantine remains a reasonable alternative to a lockdown, Shmyhal said.
“Last weekend showed that people have limited their mobility, the most since the spring quarantine. This means that long-term contacts between various social groups have decreased. Consequently, there is less chance of healthy people contracting the virus. Therefore, the ‘weekend quarantine’ will stay in place next weekend. After that, we can assess its result. We see this result in reaching a plateau for the number of cases,” he said.
“We are doing all these things now to make a joint, balanced plan that everyone will support. I want to emphasize again: there is no date for introducing a tougher quarantine now,” he said.
