Ukraine is preparing for a phased easing of quarantine introduced over the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Health Ministry's preliminary plan says parks, squares, recreation areas, hairdressers' salons, stationery shops, car washes and bike shops, gyms, hotels, cinemas and theaters will be available to citizens from May 12.
Subways in three Ukrainian cities, as well as restaurants, cafes, and art facilities will fully reopen in late May and early June, the Ukrainian news outlet Obozrevatel reports.
Journalists claim the easing will only be applied to institutions adhering to public safety requirements. The plan will enter into force if the coronavirus rate in Ukraine doesn't grow over 5% daily.
Since April 23, the rate hasn't increased at a faster pace, so certain easing could be introduced from May 3. However, according to the Cabinet of Ministers, the first step can only be taken from May 12.
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Now only tentative plans are being discussed. There are two dates on the table: May 12 and May 18. Most likely, the government will implement the first three stages of quarantine easing around those dates.
"The full easing will take place only when isolated cases of infection will be observed. Then we can assume there is no more coronavirus in Ukraine. But no one in the world can tell you the exact date. We are still seeing quite encouraging dynamics. It was expected there would be a spike last week. We had another 578 cases on April 23. This was an anti-record. There's another good news: it was expected there could be even more cases, but immediately after that, the incidence declined," a source in the Cabinet told journalists.
