The official warns Ukraine's healthcare system may fail to cope with the epidemic if Ukrainians do not comply with the quarantine rules.
Ukraine's Health Minister Maksym Stepanov says Ukraine cannot yet follow the path of some European countries and Israel and impose a second national coronavirus lockdown.
"I'm well aware that we cannot yet follow the path taken by some European countries. The path that Israel took, having entered a [new] national lockdown for 14 days due to an increase in the number of patients," he said at a briefing on Thursday, explaining that such measures are reintroduced to break the chain of infection, an UNIAN correspondent reports.
"Today we have another anti-record: we have crossed the mark of 5,000 cases – 5,397 people contracted the virus in the past day. The world has not come up with another way to stop the disease than following the rules, these rules are applicable all over the world," Stepanov said.
"Today, before the elections, many politicians want to gain, as they believe, points at the expense of COVID-19, to get hype for themselves, talk, fantasize about the number of tests," the minister said.
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The state's basic function is to provide medical assistance, he added.