COVID-19 cases set new record in Ukraine as restrictions take hold

Ukraine set new national records for COVID-19 cases and
related deaths on Aug. 27, the Health Ministry reports. There were 2,438 new
cases registered and 48 deaths; of these, 251 new cases and nine deaths were
registered in Kyiv, which was also a record for the capital.

In related news, 21 districts, mostly in southern and
western Ukraine, were classified as ‘red zone’ by the government’s Coronavirus
commission at its regular meeting on Aug. 27. This is up from 14 districts on
Aug. 20, according to the Health Ministry.

At midnight on Aug. 28, new restrictions set by the
Cabinet of Ministers came into effect, including changes and clarifications
from the regulations set on Aug 26. Foreigners will now be allowed to come into
Ukraine based on a few criteria such as residency in Ukraine, work permits, or
transit.

James Hydzik: Despite the rising numbers, we expect the government’s responses to
lag as much as possible in order to minimize damage to the economy and its own
ratings. Despite the color-coded ratings, how each institution handles the
virus is often determined by its own leadership – schools on opposite sides of
a street, for example, can have very different plans for opening on the first
day of school. The result will be a patchwork of preventative measures at best.