Health Ministry to propose nationwide lockdown for first three weeks of January

The Health Ministry of Ukraine will propose a strict
nationwide quarantine for the first three weeks of January, minister Maksym
Stepanov told a press briefing on Dec. 4. “All doctors understand that from the
end of January and during February, a seasonal peak in flu illnesses is
expected. This will lead to a serious load on the medical system. That’s why
it’s necessary to approach this period with the minimal possible numbers of
illnesses from COVID-19, with the minimal number of those hospitalized from
COVID-19,” Stepanov said. Currently, COVID-19 cases are increasing, but without
sharp jumps, he said. “We can affirm that our medical system will fully
withhold the load that is currently related to COVID-19 … We will certainly
hold up until the end of December,” he said. Although the November weekend
lockdowns didn’t achieve their maximum effectiveness, or reducing the number of
new illnesses by 20%, they did succeed in slowing “the hurricane-like spread of
the coronavirus,” he said.

New infections of the COVID-19 disease caused by the
coronavirus reached 15,131 on Dec. 3, Stepanov reported. That’s compared to
14,496 on Dec. 2 and 13,141 on Dec. 1. Recoveries reached 13,383 on Dec. 3,
compared to 15,872 (a single-day record) on Dec. 2 and 13,882 on Dec. 1. An
estimated 235 people died from the disease on Dec. 3, compared to 243 on Dec. 2
and 169 on Dec. 1.

Zenon Zawada: For some
reason, the Health Ministry prefers to use the term “strict quarantine” instead
of lockdown. But our initial impression is that this will essentially be the
November weekend lockdown extended for three full weeks, with some possible
exceptions such as the functioning of public transportation. Regardless of what
it’s called, we see this as a positive move that will be effective in reducing
COVID-19 cases. That’s especially in light of the public support for such
measures, and the fact that Ukraine is largely on holiday for at least the
first ten days of January (but also the first 20 days for many).