Due to the rapid increase in the number of patients with COVID-19, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a traditional conference call not only with government officials and law enforcers, but also heads of regional state administrations and mayors.
Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov said that over the past month the situation in the country has significantly deteriorated: at the end of May 300-400 laboratory-confirmed cases per day were recorded, now - 900-1000, the number of hospitalized has tripled. The main reason for this, according to the Minister, is the disregard for quarantine rules. In particular, transportation of people in public transport in quantity exceeding the limits, neglect of personal protective equipment, non-compliance with social distance. The Minister stressed that the Odesa region is a clear example of the fact that careless attitude to the rules leads to the rapid spread of coronavirus.
"Clubs have started working in Odesa, stars have given concerts, all beaches have been opened. There was a rumor that no one would get sick outdoors. However, this is not true. As a result, the situation has deteriorated sharply. Earlier Odesa had one of the best indicators of the spread of coronavirus infection, today the number of patients per day is much higher. We are convinced that this can happen in all regions where there is no communication with people. I have gathered here not only the government, but also all the regions, so that we can clearly coordinate and explain to the people the danger of ignoring quarantine rules today. Because, in the end, one thing should be important for all of us - the health and life of Ukrainians," the President of Ukraine said.
"If we do not start observing the control now, we will have an even worse result in two weeks," the Minister of Health added, emphasizing that with such a spread of the disease, we need to talk about the readiness of hospitals of not only the second, but also the third wave.
The Minister noted that the healthcare system is now working better than at the beginning of the spread of coronavirus, but in any country, medical capabilities are limited in the event of a large influx of patients. If in some regions 40-60% of beds are currently occupied, the current dynamics will lead to a shortage of places shortly.
Minister of the Interior Arsen Avakov noted that over the past two days, law enforcement officers inspected more than 6,200 establishments: almost 3,500 shops, 2,000 restaurants, 850 nightclubs and entertainment venues. 355 administrative reports were drawn up, with the largest number of violations detected in the Vinnytsia, Lviv, Odesa, Ternopil regions and the city of Kyiv.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal added that the incidence rate has risen significantly and now exceeds 50 people per 100,000 population. 10 days ago it was less than 40. At the same time, the mortality rate is 2.6%, which indicates a high level of treatment. The Prime Minister asked the mayors to involve municipal patrols in the work of control agencies, such as the State Food and Consumer Service, to ensure compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements; limit the work of nightclubs from 10 pm; put municipal transport under strict control, as well as improve information policy and help educational institutions prepare for remote work.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov stated that there is a possibility that most Ukrainian schools will have to switch to distance learning in the autumn, so the relevant technical capabilities should be prepared today.