It’s a rare occasion when a government openly admits that it made a mistake. But now Ukrainian Justice Minister Denis Malyuska is saying just that about the country’s current, weakly enforced policy to make Ukrainians wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His comments come as Ukraine prepares to change its masking policy.
The current fines for not wearing a mask in public places, imposed by the government at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in April, range from Hr 17,000 ($604) to Hr 34,000 ($1,208). The amounts are the same for individuals and businesses.
But these sums are simply too large and, thus, unacceptable, Malyuska said on Nov. 9.
“Applying such a huge fine for not wearing a face mask in public places was unjust because few people have enough money to pay such a fine,” he said in a Facebook video published by the Ministry of Justice.
The minimum wage in Ukraine stands at Hr 5,000 ($178). The average monthly salary is Hr 12,000 ($426), while in Kyiv, it’s Hr 17,250 ($613), or just enough to pay the fine.
But while the fines are high, they have rarely been enforced in cases of individuals who violated the masking rule. Moreover, applying the fine requires a court decisions and, in the majority of cases, courts have ruled against these penalties — suggesting that the fines have not incentivized mask-wearing.
Out of 23,292 such cases heard in courts across Ukraine, only 1,933, or 8%, resulted in a fine, according to a Nov. 4 report on the judiciary’s website. Additionally, 10,855 more cases are currently pending in court.
New fines
Malyuska made this admission as Ukraine prepares to eliminate that fine system and replace it with one that may prove more effective.
On Nov. 6, the Ukrainian parliament set the fines for individuals who fail to wear masks in public places at a sum ranging from Hr 170 ($6) to Hr 255 ($9). The new rules will come into force after they are signed by the president.
Malyuska said that the new fines will be imposed on the spot directly by the police, representatives of the sanitary-epidemiological service or local governments. No court ruling will be required and the fines will not apply to minors, he added.
In Ukraine, mask-wearing is mandatory in public places, including stores, restaurants, educational facilities, the elevators and hallways of residential buildings, playgrounds, public transport, gyms and any government offices. The streets are not considered to be public places, but bus stops and underground crossings are.
