After two previous lockdowns, one lasting more than two months from March to May 2020 and another through much of January 2021, Kyivans should be pretty experienced by now with coronavirus restrictions.
But when the new April 5 lockdown measures kicked in, Kyiv ground to a halt. Starting today and lasting at least through April 16, public transportation is available only to people who work in critical industries and who were granted special passes by the city.
Kyivans without passes took to the roads, which were soon choked with kilometers of traffic. Taxi fares were hiked, with price gouging sometimes quadrupling the normal price. Hustlers, meanwhile, began to make brisk business selling counterfeit passes to the public.
At least the weather was sunny and +9 degrees Celsius. But snow and a low of -1 degree Celsius is in the forecast for April 7.
Read: Kyiv seizes up with traffic as public transport shuts down
