The Cabinet of Ministers has allowed restaurants and cafes to remain open until 7:00 on New Year's night – from December 31 to January 1.

That's according to Government Decree No. 1301 of December 23.

Earlier, a quarantine-related restriction was imposed, obliging catering establishments to close doors at 1:00 at night.

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Prior to the latest announcement, chief of the Food and Consumer Service's Kyiv branch Oleh Ruban claimed extended working hours in cafes and restaurants on a holiday night would not lead to a spike in COVID-19 incidence.

Read alsoUkraine in world's TOP 20 countries with largest number of COVID-19 casesMeanwhile, a number of European countries have introduced tough lockdown measures covering the holiday period, including Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Quarantine in Ukraine: Latest

From December 19, new quarantine restrictions apply throughout Ukraine.

The newly adopted bans apply to:

  • Events in educational facilities (performances, celebrations, concerts) with participating children from more than one group/class and audience;
  • Festivities, banquets, workshops, public events in entertainment and catering establishments;
  • Museums, exhibitions, galleries, etc., if there is more than one visitor per 10 square meters;
  • Catering establishments – from 23:00 to 7:00 (except for delivery and take-out). Settlement transactions shall be terminated at 22:00. On New Year's night restaurants and cafes will be allowed to remain open until 01:00; and
  • Religious events in indoor settings with more than one person per 5 square meters; and in outdoor settings if the 1.5-meter social distancing rule is not observed.

The government is set to introduce a tougher lockdown across Ukraine from January 8 to January 24, 2021.