Kyiv plans to reopen gyms, some public transport on May 22

Kyiv city authorities intend to reopen gyms, large stores and industrial markets and relaunch some public transport for non-critical workers when Ukraine begins the second stage of lifting quarantine restrictions, which is currently planned for May 22.

“In compliance with regulations and safety conditions, industrial markets, large stores with an area of up to 1,000 square meters, gyms and fitness centers, except for swimming pools, will start working. We also plan to resume the operation of above-ground public transport in the usual mode,” Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a briefing on May 18.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had previously announced that the country may enter stage two of easing quarantine restrictions on May 22. The national government’s plan also provides for gyms to reopen on this day, but doesn’t mention industrial markets, large stores and public transport.

In his briefing, Klitschko also said that Kyiv is ready to reopen the city’s metro starting May 25, and that city authorities are waiting for the national government’s decision on whether that will be allowed. But Shmyhal previously said that subways in three Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, may not operate until mid-summer.

Besides opening gyms, on May 22 the national government plans to allow sporting events without spectators, open-air film screenings and the reopening of all hotels, except hostels. Additionally, testing centers will be allowed to administer the national high school graduation exam to students.

With beach season about to begin, Ukraine will also allow swimming, Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, the country’s top sanitary doctor, said at another briefing on May 18. According to experts, the combination of sun and saltwater destroys the coronavirus, and it is difficult to get infected in rivers with running water, he said. 

The first stage of easing quarantine restrictions started on May 11: The government allowed stores up to 300 square meters in area, summer terraces of cafes and restaurants, manufacturing enterprises and businesses offering services to reopen, provided they adhered to a set of safety measures. People were also allowed to visit parks, squares and other recreational areas.

The number of officially confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has reached 18,616 as of 9 a.m. on May 18, according to Ukraine’s health ministry. In total, 535 people have died from the disease in Ukraine and 5,276 patients have recovered. 

In the past 24 hours, Ukraine has identified 325 new COVID-19 cases. In total, 160 people have recovered and 21 people have died from the disease. The number of new cases has been decreasing for two consecutive days, but so has the number of people who have recovered.

Globally, the novel coronavirus has infected over 4.81 million people as of May 18. In total, 316,959 people have died and 1.86 million patients have recovered from COVID-19.