24 Feb 2021 10:39

Ukraine starts Covid-19 adaptive quarantine

KYIV. Feb 24 (Interfax) - Ukraine enforced an adaptive quarantine and a yellow alert level due to Covid-19 on February 24.

In accordance with a Ukrainian government decree dated February 17, the country will stick to its system of four-tier coronavirus alert levels - green, yellow, orange, and red.

The green level will be introduced simultaneously in all parts of Ukraine and will allow an easing of existing quarantine restrictions. A shift to the green level will become possible if flu and acute respiratory infection rates in at least 13 regions of Ukraine are below 50% of the epidemic threshold set for the region in question. A second parameter is a less-than-5% coefficient of Covid-19 cases identified via the PCR method or through antigen testing.

The yellow level of epidemiological danger will be in effect across Ukraine, apart from certain regions, from February 24, meaning that the same coronavirus-related restrictions will remain in the country, but they will be relaxed somewhat. Specifically, public catering establishments will be allowed to stay open one hour longer, i.e. until midnight, and may be visited by groups of more than 20 people.

Local administrations are authorized to impose additional restrictions if their regions move to the orange level.

A region will shift to the red level if at least two limits are exceeded for three consecutive days. A transition to the red level will pave the way for tight coronavirus-related restrictions, almost the same as were imposed during the January quarantine in the country. Red-level restrictions will be enforced by the Commission for Industrial and Environmental Safety and the Emergency Commission within a 48-hour period after this decision is adopted.

Red-level restrictions also ban citizens from using regular and occasional rail, air, and vehicle passenger services between the country's regions.