Ukraine has entered the first stage of easing lockdown on May 11, two months after the government imposed a nationwide quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Although the quarantine has officially been prolonged until May 22, with the possibility of a further extension, some public places and businesses may already reopen.
However, people are still required to travel the streets in groups of no more than two, wear masks and maintain proper social distance.
Read more: Timeline of Ukraine’s response to coronavirus pandemic
The reopening of the economy comes as a concession to struggling businesses. As Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said at the government session on May 4, loosening quarantine is risky at this stage of the outbreak, as the country hasn’t yet seen a decline in COVID-19 infections. Nor has Ukraine boosted testing and contact tracing.
To begin the next stage of easing quarantine, Ukraine must reach a key benchmark: new infections must decline and the number of recovered patients must exceed the number of new COVID-19 cases by two times or more for 10 consecutive days.
As of May 12, Ukraine has 16,023 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 425 deaths and 3,373 recovered patients.
The outbreak appears to have reached a plateau, but there is no sign of a decline in new cases and hospitalizations yet.
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Daily count of confirmed COVID-19 cases, deaths, and recovered patients
Daily count of PCR tests versus confirmed COVID-19 cases
As of May 8, there were 59 laboratories — both state and private — carrying out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
Ukraine only tests people with symptoms of respiratory diseases and pneumonia, as well as those who have come into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 carrier.
This means that the actual number of infected people is likely higher. According to official data, 40,289 people suspected of having COVID-19 have been tested in the country as of the morning of May 12.
The latest decline in confirmed cases may be attributable to a lower number of PCR tests administered.
Deaths and hospitalizations
One of the key goals of the COVID-19 response is to avoid overwhelming the health system and allow for the treatment of other, non-COVID-19 patients.
This table shows the number of daily deaths and hospitalizations in Ukraine, as well as the total number of patients on lung ventilators.
Confirmed cases by regions to population
This table shows the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by region, the official population, and the number of cases per 100,000 people.
The Ukrainian government announced that it will use a so-called “adaptive quarantine,” meaning that certain restrictive measures will remain in force in the regions and cities with the most infections.
Chernivtsi Oblast has introduced an adaptive quarantine on May 12. Unlike the rest of Ukraine, it allowed the reopening of only takeout service in cafes and restaurants, notaries, psychologists’ offices, law and audit firms and museums.
Total number of children and medical workers infected with COVID-19
Almost one-fifth of the confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ukraine are medical workers.
