KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2020) The Ukrainian authorities have decided to tighten its COVID-19 quarantine from April 6-24, in particular, due to the upcoming Easter celebrations, the presidential office said on Wednesday following a meeting chaired by the leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the fight against the pandemic.
"The parties reviewed the possibility of introducing additional, more strict quarantine measures. In particular, the sides discussed the mode "everyone in masks" from April 6-24 and the restriction on the number of people on the street. After all, the peak incidence of coronavirus is expected on Easter," the office said in a statement.
In addition, the participants also discussed "lists of low-income categories of citizens" so that the authorities can provide financial aid to the poorest Ukrainians during the quarantine. The government also is launching a special program aimed at creating jobs for those who came from abroad or lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the statement read.
The authorities have previously introduced a quarantine from March 12 to April 3 for all educational institutions and banned public gatherings. Last week, the Ukrainian cabinet declared a nationwide state of emergency until April 24 to slow down the spread of the infection.
Later in the day, the president said that Ukraine had received another batch of medical equipment, including protective suits, test kits and respirators, from China to combat the epidemic. Previous batches of humanitarian aid from China arrived in Ukraine on March 29 and March 31.
Ukraine has also received assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross to combat the pandemic, Zelenskyy said.
To date, Ukraine has confirmed 669 cases of the disease, including 17 fatalities. Meanwhile, 10 patients have recovered.
