Starting from March 17 all restaurants, night clubs, gyms, beauty salons and shopping malls will have to shut down in Kyiv, the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on March 16.
The decision furthers the restrictions that Ukraine imposed earlier to prevent the coronavirus spread by closing all educational institutions and banning mass events.
The same measures have recently been established in other Ukrainian cities including Lviv, Odesa and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Ukraine has five registered cases of COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus. It has been detected in 170,000 people and killed 6,520 people worldwide.
“We have to buy time!” Klitschko said in a statement. “Rigorous and timely action is crucial to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the capital.”
The new restrictions order all eateries, such as restaurants, cafes and bars, to close. They will be able to take orders online and do delivery.
All entertainment establishments including shopping malls, night clubs and gaming clubs will stop operating. Gyms, beauty and tattoo salons, spa are also on the list.
“We understand that this is an inconvenience for the city residents and a loss for the business. But they are forced and temporary. Profit and money are important. But the health and life of people are paramount!” Klitschko said.
Kyiv’s supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and gas stations will continue to work without changes.
The shutdown will last at least until the end of March but it might be prolonged.
The city authorities also recommend Kyiv residents to use public transport as little as possible, as well as cut traveling to other cities.
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- There have been five confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. The first case was identified in Ukraine on March 3.
- One person died from the COVID-19 in Ukraine.
- 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.
- The National Bank of Ukraine continued to cut the policy rate while trying to buffer the hryvnia from coronavirus panic.
