Ukrainian schoolchildren will start their annual autumn holidays early this year and universities will switch to remote learning in an effort to curb the growth of COVID-19 infections across the country.
The decision was made after President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Oct. 11 with Mykhailo Radutsky, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s medical committee.
The autumn holiday will now begin on Oct. 15 and last until Oct. 30.
In a post on Facebook, Radutsky said the new measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 came after an outbreak that led to the death of a dean at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv.
“Unfortunately, there are already several outbreaks of the infection among employees and students, as well as fatal cases. Last week, the dean of the Faculty of Geography of Shevchenko National University of Kyiv died,” he wrote.
As a result of the outbreak, Taras Shevchenko National University switched to remote lessons. Universities weren’t the only educational institutions to face outbreaks. Five schools and two kindergartens were closed in Kyiv last week, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said during an online briefing on Oct. 9.
On Oct. 12, the total death toll from coronavirus surpassed 5,000 in Ukraine. During the most recent 24-hour period, Ukraine has registered 4,420 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 265,454 since the start of the pandemic.
Additionally, Kyiv also moved from the “yellow” to the “orange” quarantine zone on Oct. 12 due to the growing COVID-19 infection rate and crowded hospitals. The government approved the change of zones on Oct. 9. However, the measures will be stricter than required by the orange zone to prevent the spread of the virus, Radutsky said.
As a result, gyms and cultural establishments will be required to close, while restaurants will not be allowed to work past 10 p.m. Mass events will be canceled until the epidemiological situation improves.
The color-coded quarantine zones are assigned based on several factors, including the number of cases in the last 14 days per 100,000 people and bed occupancy in hospitals.
During the briefing on Oct. 9, Klitschko said that Kyiv needs new beds and more medical staff to treat COVID-19 patients.
There are over 2,500 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in Kyiv, according to Klitschko. As of Oct. 9, 1,675 people were receiving treatment in 20 local hospitals, 338 of them in serious condition.
On Oct. 12, Zelensky also ordered Health Minister Maksym Stepanov to prepare to deploy temporary emergency hospitals in Kyiv, Odesa and Mariupol in the event that current hospitals become overcrowded.
If the bed occupancy rate in Kyiv stays at over 60% for five consecutive days, the city will tighten anti-epidemic measures, Oleg Ruban, head of the State Consumer Protection Service, said. If hospitals don’t receive more beds for patients, Kyiv will go to the highest, “red” level, when the restrictions are the most severe.
If a community has over 75% of hospital beds occupied with COVID-19 patients, the area will be assigned to the red zone. In addition to the orange level restrictions, the authorities may shut down public transport, schools and educational establishments, shopping malls, cafes and restaurants.
According to Health Minister Stepanov, more than 20,000 COVID-19 patients are receiving treatment in the country’s hospitals as of Oct. 8. Officially, hospitals can accept a maximum of 37,000 COVID-19 patients.
