People who are vaccinated against COVID-19 will be exempt from quarantine restrictions, according to a new Cabinet of Ministers resolution announced on Sept. 13.
Those who received a single dose of the vaccine will be exempt from restrictions in Ukraine’s “yellow zones.” People who received both doses will be exempt from restrictions in the “red zones.”
People will be able to prove their status by showing the recently-launched digital vaccination documents. These include a “green” certificate for people with both doses and a “yellow” one for people with only one dose.
The certificates come in the form of a QR code in the Diia mobile app. They also say whether a person has tested negative for the virus in the last 72 hours or has recovered from the disease.
“The changes we have proposed are an opportunity to control the epidemic situation while maintaining the country’s economic activity,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Under its adaptive quarantine system, Ukraine color-codes its regions green, yellow, orange or red, based on the severity of the outbreak there.
All of Ukraine is currently “green” but that will change soon, the Health Ministry stated. In the past week, new COVID-19 cases jumped by 6,000 and the number of hospitalizations increased by 1,500. The Ministry predicts that a new lockdown may be introduced in November. Zakarpattia will be the first region to go “yellow” on Sept. 20.
In “yellow” zones, cinemas can only be 50% full, mass events can only accommodate one person per 4 square meters and gyms can have just one person per 10 square meters.
Venue owners can get around this restriction if at least 80% of their visitors and staff have received at least one vaccine dose. Businesses may choose to turn away unvaccinated customers.
Schools will be allowed to continue working if 80% of employees have “yellow” or “green” COVID-certificates.
In “red” zones, all non-essential businesses must be closed, including shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas and gyms. Only grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations must remain open.
However, businesses may now stay open if all of their staff and visitors have been fully vaccinated and received the “green” certificate.
Schools in “red” zones will work only if all employees are fully vaccinated. The Health Ministry says that vaccinating teachers is now its main priority.
“Following the practice of European countries, as well as the United States, we propose to bring the quality of life of the vaccinated population against COVID-19 back to normal”, Health Minister Victor Lyashko said on Sept.6.
Majority of Ukrainians don’t want to get vaccinated, poll says
More than 56% of Ukrainians are not vaccinated and do not plan on it, according to a poll by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. The refusal rate is among the highest in the world, compared to neighboring countries, where surveys were conducted.
Right now, 52% of the population is against mandatory vaccination, with 23% in favor. Respondents who have been sick or are likely to get sick with COVID-19 are more likely to advocate for mandatory vaccination.
According to the poll, most often Ukrainians refuse to get a jab because they think “vaccines are not yet sufficiently tested”. The main argument in favor of vaccination is the desire to work during the lockdown.
State of vaccination
As of Sept. 14, 4.8 million Ukrainians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and over 1.1 million people have received the first of two doses. The vaccination campaign started on Feb. 24.
In the last 24 hours, 54,523 people received their first dose of vaccine, while 80,700 received the second dose, completing their vaccination.
Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko has announced that the fifth and final stage of COVID-19 vaccination in Ukraine began on July 21. This means that all willing adults are now able to get a jab.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Health also now allows voluntary COVID-19 vaccination of children over the age of 12 with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, starting July 30.
Children over 12 can get the Pfizer vaccine if they have a high risk of severe disease related to COVID-19, are traveling abroad where the vaccine is mandatory, or have already received the first dose of Pfizer in another country.
Ukraine currently vaccinates its people with Pfizer, Sinovac, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines. On July 5, Ukraine authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for use.
On July 21, Kyiv’s primary mass vaccination center started offering Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to everyone, as well as CoronaVac.
