Restaurateurs Hold Rallies Across Ukraine To Protest 'Weekend Lockdown' - Reports

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2020) Restaurateurs have held rallies across Ukraine, including the capital of Kiev and other big cities, to protest the government's plans to introduce a "weekend lockdown," the Ukraina 24 channel reported on Wednesday.

Last week, Ukrainian Heath Minister Maxym Stepanov offered to put the country on a strict "weekend lockdown" to curb the coronavirus, allowing only grocery stores, pharmacies and public transport to work on Saturdays and Sundays. The cabinet is set to look into the initiative, which has been backed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday.

To protest the plans, restaurateurs held demonstrations in Kiev, where an estimated 500 people gathered near a government building, as well as in the cities of Odessa, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Kherson and Ivano-Frankivsk

In Odessa, mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov joined the demonstrators to support the businesses in the opposition to what they see as the excessively strict measures.

In some of the cities, the demonstrators carried pots and spoons, along with banners.

Ukraine has so far confirmed over 489,000 coronavirus cases, including more than 221,000 recoveries and 8,947 deaths.