President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a conference call with heads of regional state administrations and mayors of the regional centers.
The call was also joined by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Chief medical officer of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko.
The parties discussed the issues of solving problems on combating the spread of COVID-19 outlined by the regions after the first conference call on March 22.
“Most of the questions are addressed to the Ministry of Health. The most difficult problems are in the simplest things - a sufficient number of personal protective equipment, disinfectants, ventilators,” the President said.
Deputy Head of the Office of the President and Secretary of the Coordination Council on Combating the Spread of COVID-19 Kyrylo Tymoshenko spoke in detail about the distribution of masks, hazmat suits, tests, ventilators delivered to Ukraine from China by plane on the night of March 23.
“Yesterday we bought the necessary reagents, and today at 10 am they were delivered to regional laboratories. Our virologists consult the laboratories on the use of the provided facilities directly - by phone or online,” he said.
The parties also raised the issue of the functioning of the food markets.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that only local authorities can determine how dangerous and necessary at the same time these markets are, emphasizing that during the spread of coronavirus such markets are dangerous, especially for older people who buy products there most often.
“Big markets need to be closed immediately. However, if in small towns there are no shops, and these markets are the main source of food products, we have to think how to solve this situation. There may be patrols near the markets, which, for example, will limit the number of people. I urge the regions to address this issue responsibly,” the President stressed.
Separately, the President and the Prime Minister discussed social support for healthcare workers and vulnerable groups, the supply of medicines that are needed on a regular basis, as well as the possibility of increased responsibility for persons who violate self-isolation when arriving from abroad.