Ukraine sets new COVID-19 record as Cabinet simplifies quarantine system

Ukraine’s Health Ministry reported that on Aug. 12
there were 1592 new cases of coronavirus registered across the country. This
total makes for the third record-setting uptake in two weeks. About 22 patients
with COVID-19 died, and 530 patients were declared as recovered.

On Aug.12, the Cabinet of Ministers streamlined the
process for determining quarantine zones in order to make the system more
transparent. Health Minister Maxim Stepanov stated that the new system uses two
of the old parameters, namely hospital bed occupancy and level of testing, and
now includes the number of new cases of coronavirus in the last 14 days.
Regional levels will be reviewed every seven days.

James Hydzik: The streamlined system taken up by the Cabinet is a welcome change,
and shows that officials are listening to the public on this important aspect
of getting the health message out. However, the rise in cases during the August
break is not a harbinger of good news, and the likelihood of new restrictions
is only going to rise if people do not act on the messages they asked their
government for.