Three-phase plan for relaunching public transport published

Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krykliy published on
May 14 the ministry’s three-phase plan for relaunching public transport. The
dates for launching the phases will be determined with the Health Ministry by
the end of the week, he said. The first phase involves launching intracity
transport, with the exception of minibuses, and suburban transport, limited to
within a single district. Domestic airline flights, suburban rail lines at rush
hour, and Intercity and Night Express rail lines are also included in the first
phase. The second phase involves interregional and international auto transport,
all daytime suburban rail lines, and passenger trains, except for those
seasonal. The third phase involves international air and rail lines and
seasonal rail lines. The ministry is working with airlines and the foreign
ministry to determine the countries to reestablish flights with, Krykliy said,
adding that airlines are proposing renewing domestic and international flights
simultaneously.  

Krykliy told a May 14 television broadcast that he
opposes Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s proposal to renew metro rail service in
the capital as of May 25. “Several days ago, the Kyiv staff gathered and came
to the thinking that opening the metro with restrictions is quite difficult. If
the underground opens, then it works completely. Of course, a mask regime, 
disinfection, and screening are possible, but restrictions on the platforms and
railcars are quite difficult,” Krykliy said.

The Ukrainian government hasn’t implemented any
restrictions on departing flights from Ukraine, including for laborers working
abroad legally, PM Shmyhal told parliament on May 13, responding to an
information request from the British Embassy in Ukraine, which announced on May
10 it learned the government is continuing to prohibit citizens to take
departing flights without special permission. The Ukrainian government is
currently holding talks with its European counterparts to ensure that invited
citizens are traveling for official work, medical guarantees, guarantees of
return, and guarantees of normal conditions of work and residence, he said.

“It’s important that this is not supposed to be
two-week tourism here and there, an import-export of the coronavirus. We didn’t
keep the country closed for two months for that, and all of Europe is keeping
their countries closed, in order to bring 100K to 200K infected every two weeks
and wreck economies,” Shmyhal told parliament.

Zenon Zawada: We expect
the first phase to be implemented by the end of the month. Yet many Ukrainians
are eager to return to their employment abroad (official and unofficial) and
will be closely watching for when the second phase of travel relaxations take
effect.

Shmyhal’s statement about no restrictions on
departing flights is confusing, to say the least, after the Infrastructure
Ministry said on May 12 that flights announced by airlines – to and from
Ukraine in May and June – on don’t have the required permission from the cabinet. Moreover, the statement seems
deceptive considering the border was shut to the public on Mar. 27, making that issue rather moot. It also was
excessive on Shmyhal’s part to label the British Embassy’s report as “fake and
lies,” which are very loaded words in light of what is a fair assessment of the
situation. We expect the government will extend its policy of strictly
selecting flights out of Ukraine through the end of the month, at least.