Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has proposed extending the country’s quarantine restrictions until Nov. 1 due to the negative dynamic of infection in the country.
In the past month, the number of new daily COVID-19 diagnoses has increased sharply. In the past 24 hours, the country has registered over 1,600 cases, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Aug. 25.
According to a statement published on his official website, President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the establishment of preventive measures, such as banning nightclubs and concerts.
“But quarantine must remain adaptive and not burdensome for entrepreneurs. Small and medium-sized businesses should be able to organize their work in the new conditions properly,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s government is also considering prohibiting entry into Ukraine for foreigners from countries located into the “red zone” of the epidemic — countries that Ukraine deems as having a deteriorating COVID-19 situation — for 30 days. Transit drivers and humanitarian missions would be excluded from that ban.
Additionally, at the request of the government of Israel, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to place significant restrictions on pilgrimages to the Ukrainian city of Uman this year, the President’s Office said. Hasidic Jews visit the city to be near the grave of Rabbi Nachman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic sect, on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for the government to ease the conditions of entry into Ukraine for Belarusians.
“How can we ban Belarusians from entering, especially in light of the extremely tense domestic political situation there?” he said, referring to mass protests against election fraud in Belarus that have faced a violent crackdown from Belarusian government forces.
Ukraine’s previous quarantine was scheduled to last until Aug. 31. Since the start of the pandemic, over 108,000 people have been infected with COVID-19.
