Ukraine now requires PCR tests for border crossings

The Cabinet of Ministers changed the requirements for
entering the country on March 22. Online media pravda.com.ua reports that the
new rules require foreigners to have a PCR test done within 72 hours before
entry. Ukrainian citizens returning must self-isolate, unless they have a
negative result on a PCR test from less than 48 hours before entry. These are
the first changes to the country’s border policy as the next wave of infection
hits.

In related news, dangerous variants of the
‘British’-strain of COVID-19 have been found in Ukraine. The Institute of
Molecular Biology and Genetics of Ukraine announced on its Facebook page on
March 22 that the new variants were found based on tests following an outbreak
in Ivano-Frankivsk region. These variants increase the likelihood of both a
severe bout of the disease and reinfection. The institute did not mention the
prevalence of the new strain.

Furthermore, the Health Ministry reports that Ukraine
registered over 300 COVID-related deaths for the first time on March 22. These
developments come as Kyiv decides not to close the Kyiv Metro and Dnipro
initiates a lockdown.

James Hydzik: The government is able to better fine-tune its response to the
pandemic, which leads to requirements for PCR tests and an open metro instead
of a blanket quarantine. Timing could be improved, though, as a PCR test
requirement would have made sense long ago. There also comes a question: if
there is a mutation of COVID-19 in Ivano-Frankivsk that is more virulent, is it
necessary to completely lock down the region? After all, these mutations occur
naturally, and there’s nothing to stop a similar mutation from springing up
elsewhere.