Kyiv will move into the red quarantine zone on Nov. 1 and impose a series of restrictions, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Oct. 28.
Cinemas, theaters, shopping malls, non-food markets, gyms, swimming pools, cultural institutions and mass events will be shuttered unless all staff and participants are fully vaccinated.
Public transport will continue operating. However, people will only be allowed to use it if they have a negative PCR test or vaccination certificate. These documents will not be checked at the entrance but selectively by groups of law enforcement officers.
For cafes and restaurants to keep working, both the staff and customers must be fully vaccinated.
People will be able to prove their vaccination status by showing the recently-launched digital vaccination documents. The certificates come in the form of a QR code in the Diia mobile app. International vaccination credentials are also valid.
Minors will only be able to visit shopping malls with adults who have a negative PCR test result or proof of vaccination. Schools will return to distance learning but kindergartens will be open if all employees are vaccinated against COVID-19.
The contagion is getting worse in Kyiv, which saw 1,451 new cases and 39 deaths from COVID complications on Oct. 27. On the same day, hospitals admitted 173 people with a confirmed diagnosis and 325 more who are suspected of having coronavirus and pneumonia. The capital’s capacity to supply hospital patients with oxygen is limited.
“About 84% of people who are hospitalized need oxygen support. Over 66% of oxygen beds are full for the third day in a row,” Klitschko said during a press briefing.
Under the adaptive quarantine strategy, Ukraine color codes its regions green, yellow, orange or red, according to the severity of the outbreak there. Currently, three Ukrainian oblasts are yellow, 14 are orange, and eight are red.
People who are fully vaccinated can avoid the worst of the red zone quarantine restrictions. All adults, including foreigners with a residence permit, can get vaccinated for free. They can get a shot at their local clinics or one of more than 400 mass vaccination centers throughout the country.
Kyiv has 36 such centers, including the International Exhibition Center near the Livoberezhna metro station and Kyiv Boryspil International Airport. The full list is available here.
State of vaccination
Ukraine, with its population of 42 million, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe. Despite COVID-19 vaccines being available to the Ukrainian public since Feb. 24, only about 9.5 million people have received the first of two doses of a vaccine; 7.2 million Ukrainians are fully vaccinated.
The low vaccine uptake has contributed to a surge in new daily cases. On Oct. 27, the country hit a new record, with 26,071 new cases. Thousands are being admitted to hospitals each day.
The government has made vaccinations compulsory for government employees, including teachers, starting on Nov. 7. Employees who do not get a vaccine by this date will be suspended without pay.
Read more: Latest coronavirus wave plunges Ukraine into renewed crisis
On Oct. 21, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced new rules for transporting passengers during quarantine. People can travel between regions only if they have been vaccinated or if they have a negative test result received no earlier than three days before the trip. Children under the age of 18 do not need to have vaccination or testing documents.
Following the government’s decision, Ukrzaliznytsia, the state railway operator, has started opening testing and vaccination stations at its largest rail terminals.
