Coronavirus sets latest record, prompting stricter monitoring

The Kyiv city government is intensifying the
enforcement of quarantine/lockdown requirements, Mayor Vitali Klitschko told a
June 17 press conference after the Health Ministry published statistics that
morning that COVID-19 infections and deaths set a new daily record in Ukraine.
Mobile monitoring groups have been dispatched in each district to maintain
requirements in public and issue fines to individuals and businesses in
violation, he said. An enterprise may also be closed until requirements are
met, he said. About 325 reports of violations were recorded in the last month
involving both individuals and businesses.

A new daily record of 758 cases of COVID-19 disease caused
by the coronavirus was recorded on June 16, Health Ministry Maksym Stepanov
told his daily press briefing this morning. Among them were 50 medical workers,
6.6% of new infections. A daily record of 31 casualties from COVID-19 was also
reported, with 415 cases of recovery. The most infections occurred in the
regions of Lviv (155) on the Polish border, Zakarpattia (82) on the Hungarian
border, and Chernivtsi (69) on the Romanian border. The most casualties
occurred in the regions of Lviv (9) and Zakarpattia (4).

The data for the last week “are very sad,” Stepanov
told the briefing, as reported by the pravda.com.ua news site. He called for
upholding epidemiological requirements of wearing masks, using antiseptic
cleansers and engaging in social distancing. He made no mention of reimposing
severe quarantine or lockdown measures.

Zenon Zawada: With such
disturbing data, we advise anyone doing business in Ukraine to prepare for the
possibility that significant restrictions may be reimposed in the coming days.
While state officials are trying their best to avoid reintroducing
restrictions, which will have harsh political consequences, such data may leave
them no choice. Plans to allow Ukrainians to travel to the E.U. on July 1 may
be derailed as well.