Shmygal: Some public transport to resume work on May 11, metro stays shut

The Ukrainian government will gradually reintroduce public transportation in Ukrainian cities starting May 11, even though the quarantine is scheduled until May 22, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal announced on May 6 during a government meeting.

The decision comes after Ukraine promised to ease the economic lockdown on May 11, allowing many businesses to resume work. Now, the prime minister said, it is necessary for people whose firms reopen to be able to travel around the city.

Shmygal, however, hasn’t specified much about what kind of transport exactly will restart its operation, saying that it’s up to city mayors to decide. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, for example, said Kyiv will increase only the number of trams and trolleys and only to those districts that are insufficiently covered today.

However, it is clear that subways, including the Kyiv Metro, won’t fully work until at least June.

In line with Ukraine’s lockdown exit strategy, the government will only reopen subways during the third out of five stages of the exit plan, when the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is two times higher than the number of new infections for 10 consecutive days. Currently, around 500 people are testing positive for COVID-19 in Ukraine every day.

Still, even during the third stage, only certain groups of people — those traveling for work — will be able to use subways, Shmygal said. He hasn’t mentioned how people will be able to prove they are using transportation to get to work.

Klitschko confirmed that the reopening of the subway “will not happen immediately.”

The government may lift all the restrictions for public transport by July if the number of new coronavirus cases does not exceed five in every oblast for ten consecutive days.

Having been shut down for the public, Kyiv Metro is working on renovations inside the subway, deputy director Natalia Makogon told the Kyiv Post. After the quarantine, every station will use QR codes instead of plastic tokens.

However, even after the full restoration of public transportation, protective measures will remain in place for passengers. People will be obliged to wear masks on board and the number of passengers will be restricted. The return to normalcy will be gradual, according to multiple officials.

Meanwhile, international air travel will resume no earlier than in autumn, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on May 6. Currently, Ukraine is only accepting cargo planes and charter flights that repatriate Ukrainians stranded abroad.