KYIV (UKRAINE) – Schools, restaurants and gyms were closed in Ukraine on Friday as a new national lockdown kicked in.
Infections registered a rise from the month of September and have remained high ever since. So far, the nation has recorded more than one million cases with 19,588 fatalities as of Jan. 8.
In early December, the government had decided on the national lockdown in January at a time when the country was at the peak of the pandemic and the number of daily infections hovered around 12,000-14,000.
The new measures include the closure of entertainment centres and prohibition on mass gatherings and they will remain in force until January 24.
In spite of calls to ease the curbs or even do away with it, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said they were the need of the hour.
“By introducing a stricter quarantine from tomorrow, we will avoid a large increase in patients with both COVID-19 and the usual seasonal flu,” Stepanov said.
“Thus, we will reduce the workload at the hospitals, because the same institutions treat patients with each of these diseases.”
In early January, the number of new infections dipped and this, together with the decision to leave public transport and some non-critical businesses operating, made local authorities and businesses criticise the new lockdown.
The government is of the view that the new curbs would help avoid a future stricter lockdown, which could impact the economy in a big way.