Ukraine reaches 10,000 coronavirus cases as public chafes against lockdown
02 May, 2020
Ukraine reached 10,000 coronavirus cases on Thursday as Health Minister Maksym Stepanov urged the general public to be patient rather than violate lockdown measures which have kept the country's death toll far lower than in a lot of western Europe.
The government shut businesses such as for example cafes, restaurants, markets and cinemas last month, closed its borders to foreign citizens and turn off virtually all air and rail travel, triggering a spike in job losses.
Anger at the lockdown resulted in a huge selection of businessmen protesting near to the government building on Wednesday, while Stepanov also said more persons were ignoring a ban on visiting parks.
Stepanov told a televised briefing that 261 persons had died from COVID-19.
"But this is not the thousands that are happening in Italy and Spain. Quarantine was introduced very quickly (in Ukraine) and it was thanks to this that people managed to contain the situation," he said.
"Because of the quarantine measures, we managed to avoid the peak incidence and peak load on the medical system."
The federal government has extended the lockdown until May 11 and expects the pandemic to peak in Ukraine early the following month. It is considering whether to open food markets back up in the meantime, with social distancing rules.
But there are growing signs of public impatience.
"What do we see within the last days? We see rallies, persons on the streets, we see traffic jams, we see an increase in the number of folks in parks. I am aware that being in quarantine for five, six weeks is quite difficult," Stepanov said.
"When you are out to rallies or when you begin violating the quarantine, don't think about just yourself. Consider your loved types whom you can infect by becoming infected at such events."
The government have been particularly anxious in order to avoid a spike in new infections over Orthodox Easter on April 19, after a prominent monastery became contamination hotspot.
The pandemic is likely to tip Ukraine into recession this season, prompting the federal government to appeal to the International Monetary Fund for aid.
The federal government has allocated 6 billion hryvnias ($222 million) for payments to the unemployed and has increased its forecast for the unemployment rate this season to 9.4%.
A survey completed by the Rating research group in early April showed 8% of Ukrainians had lost their jobs through the lockdown, and 29% had taken a vacation.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com
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