The Ukrainian capital Kyiv is to open hotels, shopping and leisure centers on May 30. Shopping and entertainment centers in Kyiv will start operating on Saturday, but without the operation of entertainment zones and in compliance with sanitary standards and regulations, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said, as reported by Ukrainian language media.
Klitschko said: “Friends, I want to inform you that today the City Emergency Commission has decided to open shopping and entertainment centers in the capital (without the work of entertainment zones). Shopping centers in Kyiv, with the observance of sanitary norms and regulations, should be opened from Saturday, May 30,” he said at an online briefing on Wednesday.
Kyiv city will gradually ease restrictions for work in the travel and tourism sphere, Klitschko also said. The tourist flow in the Ukrainian capital in April and May fell by more than 90% compared to last year, the mayor has said, adding that the city will gradually ease restrictions on the work of the tourism sector.
Klitschko stated: “The pandemic has hit the tourism sector in Kyiv significantly. Compared to last year, there was almost no tourist flow in Kyiv in April and May. Tour operators, agencies, hotels and restaurants lost $1 billion. And this is the loss of the city. In revenues from the tourist tax, business taxes.” Klitschko said at an online briefing on Wednesday.
Ukrzaliznytsia has resumed work at its railway ticket offices, but passengers without masks won’t be able to buy tickets. “We have opened railway ticket offices at all railway stations in the country from 8 a.m. today. Workers are provided with personal protective equipment, antiseptics are placed near the ticket offices, markings are made to ensure the distance between passengers,” Acting Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Ivan Yuryk is quoted as saying on the company’s website, as reported by Interfax.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has spoken out about the importance of independence for the country’s National Health Service. “An independent and professional National Health Service of Ukraine is critical to ensuring Ukrainians have access to modern, efficient health care. We stand ready to continue partnering with the government of Ukraine to strengthen the independence of institutions like the NHSU, as we also collaborate to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects,” the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine wrote on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
Specialists in Ukraine are to decide on the exclusion of hydroxychloroquine from COVID-19 treatment protocols, the health minister has said. A working group will decide on the exclusion of hydroxychloroquine from coronavirus (COVID-19) from treatments in the near future, due to the cessation of the medicine’s clinical trials by the World Health Organization, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.
The minister stated: “We are monitoring everything that is happening in the world. This week a working group will hold a meeting. The group consists of leading specialists of various practices, who are in Ukraine. First of all, these are anesthetists, epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists, endocrinologists, cardiologists. Based on the latest recommendations of the WHO following what is happening in the world, in the United States, in Europe, taking into account our experience of using this medicine, they will make a decision, which will then be submitted to me for approval. This should be done exclusively by specialists,” the minister said.
Ukrzaliznytsia will implement a new freight transport agreement with no change in service costs. The state railway is implementing a new agreement for freight transport without changing the cost of services, the press service of the company said with reference to an acting member of the board.
Roman Veprytsky said: “Due to common work with the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and the market, a number of additional issues were determined and resolved. We worked with all the market comments. One of these was the issue of changes in tariffs when introducing the new agreement. I would like to say that the introduction of the new agreement will not affect the cost of services provided to our customers,” he said during a meeting of the working group on the operational resolution of logistics issues in agriculture.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has backed the creation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, separating it from the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection. The corresponding decision was made at a government meeting on Wednesday subject to one-day revision. According to this decision, the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection was renamed the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
Fitch expects Russian GDP to contract 5% in 2020, grow 3% in 2021, the international rating agency said in its Global Economic Outlook report. The agency expects inflation in Russia to be about 3.9% at the end of 2020 and 4% at the end of 2021. The Central Bank of Russia’s key interest rate will be 4.75% at the end of this year and 5.50% at the end of 2021, Fitch forecast.
