Radomyshl, a city some 110 kilometers from Kyiv, has declared a state of emergency to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus after an infected woman failed to report she felt sick for over a week. She is one of three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine along with two men in Chernivtsi Oblast, some 510 kilometers from Kyiv.
Radomyshl, a city of 14,700 residents in Zhytomyr Oblast, suspended public transport, closed bazaars and open-air markets, and will screen everyone at the city’s entry and exit points for symptoms of COVID-19, a disease that has infected 125,048 and killed 4,613 worldwide in a global pandemic.
“The state of emergency provides for certain restrictions: closing entertainment venues and locations with large numbers of people,” said Vitaliy Bunechko, the governor of Zhytomyr Oblast.
The 71-year-old infected woman returned from Poland on March 1. Besides six cohabitants in a private house, the woman was in contact with four guests at home. Two were from Radomyshl and two came from Kyiv. They are now in home quarantine and under observation. The woman also attended Sunday mass at a local church on March 8.
“You all know how the elderly go to church, approach the icons, and then everyone present approaches it. We’re worried about this,” said Zinoviy Paramonov, a doctor and head of the Zhytomyr laboratory center.
In Ukrainian churches, it is common for parishioners to kiss the icons, one after another. Besides being spread through close contact, coughs and sneezes, coronavirus is thought to also spread through common surfaces.
The authorities have identified and are observing 26 people who came into contact with the woman, including those who attended the church that day, Paramonov says. They sanitized her house and ambulances that transported her. The people under observation have not yet shown symptoms of the disease.
The woman has been isolated and is receiving medical treatment. She is in moderately severe condition.
Another man diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 12 lives in Chernivtsi Oblast. He may have been infected with the virus by his wife, who has been in Italy for the last 14 days.
The first coronavirus case in Ukraine was also recorded in Chernivtsi on March 2. That patient had returned home after a vacation in Italy. His condition is satisfactory.
Having one of the smallest numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Europe, Ukraine imposed a nationwide quarantine on March 12 until at least April 3. It closed nurseries, schools, and universities, and banned mass gatherings of more than 200 people, except events of “state necessity” such as parliamentary meetings, and sporting events given there are no spectators.
Ukraine also imposed limits on flights to and from Italy and closed 170 out of 219 border checkpoints, including to Russian-occupied parts of the Donbas. The remaining 49 checkpoints will have thorough medical screenings and add mobile quarantine centers.
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- There are three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine.
- The first case was identified in Ukraine on March 3.
- Ukraine shut schools and canceled mass events starting March 12 to prevent the disease’s spread. Some schools resisted.
- Here’s how Kyiv is affected.
- Doctor’s advice: How to stay safe.
- Ukrainians evacuated from the disease’s epicenter in Wuhan, China spent two weeks in quarantine in a sanatorium in Poltava Oblast and were released on March 5. Their arrival in Ukraine caused unrest.
Effects on economy:
- Here’s what the virus is doing to Ukraine’s economy.
- Ukrainian businesses respond to the crisis.
- The virus disrupts the transport sector. Ukrainian airlines canceled some flights to 16 countries due to the novel coronavirus.
