Ukraine has rolled out a website with all the rules about how to enter Ukraine, as well as how to travel across the country, during the coronavirus pandemic.
Launched in the beginning of July and called Visit Ukraine Now, the website has up-to-date information on the rules about crossing the Ukrainian border and current travel restrictions, as well as how the Ukrainian government plans to adapt the quarantine restrictions in Ukraine.
“The website is aimed at foreign tourists who plan to visit Ukraine, as well as for Ukrainians traveling abroad,” Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service stated on July 1.
The website works in English, Russian and Ukrainian.
The portal also provides assistance with using Diy Vdoma, an app designed by the Digital Transformation Ministry to monitor people undergoing 14-day self-isolation when arriving in Ukraine from abroad. Additionally, it offers information about mandatory insurance covering the treatment of COVID-19 and the hotline phone number for tourists.
Read more: FAQ about entering Ukraine: Insurance, self-isolation and more
According to the website, Ukraine divides the countries where tourists may come from into two lists: green-zone and red-zone countries.
Citizens of a green-zone country — where there are less than 40 active COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people — are not required to undergo self-isolation. As of July 7, nearly 50 countries are on the green-zone list. It includes China, Germany, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Greece.
Citizens of a red-zone country, meanwhile, have to undergo 14 days of self-isolation at home or the same period of observation in a facility chosen by the government. They also have the option of undergoing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test during their first 24 hours in Ukraine. Should it be negative, they will not be required to undergo self-isolation.
Tests can be taken at laboratories or clinics, at home with a laboratory that sends a nurse to administer the test and even in the arrival area of the airport if it is available. The website plans to add information about the availability of testing at the airport in the near future.
Visitors from a red-zone country also must install the Dii Vdoma app, which only functions with the SIM card of a Ukrainian mobile operator. Therefore, foreigners must contact one of Ukraine’s mobile carriers in advance to buy a card before their arrival.
Read more: Coronavirus isolation app’s technical issues draw ire of users
Sixty-two countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain and Russia — are considered red-zone states due to their large numbers of COVID-19 cases.
However, citizens of a red-zone country who haven’t been there for the last two weeks aren’t required to self-isolate.
The list of countries is updated daily.
The website was developed by non-governmental organization Visit Ukraine with the support of Ukraine’s State Agency for Tourism Development, the State Border Guard Service, the Infrastructure Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Interior Ministry.
Digitalization of government services was one of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pre-election promises in the runup to the Ukrainian presidential election in April 2019.
