President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to clear clearly translate adaptive quarantine rules, which become effective today. The Head of State emphasized this during a traditional conference call on preventing the spread of coronavirus disease COVID-19 in response to government information on the epidemic situation in Ukraine. The meeting was chaired by the President.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the incidence rate has risen to 82.8 per 100,000, bed occupancy in Zakarpattia region is almost 69%, and in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne regions and Bukovyna area it is more than 40%. Volodymyr Zelenskyy demands that the government clearly explain to the people how the country is divided into four zones and why adaptive quarantine is required.
In addition, the Head of State requested information from the Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko on the economic measures aimed at helping Ukrainians to protect themselves from the negative impact of the epidemiological situation. In response, the minister said that the government reimbursed two-thirds of the salaries of 358,000 people employed by 180,000 self-employed persons who are on forced temporary leave and have lost their salaries as a result. The government has also simplified payment of unemployment benefits as much as possible, helping 510,000 Ukrainians receive them. Separately, the Minister noted the launch of the 5-7-9% lending program and compensation of tax rates to farmers.
The President said in response that he doubted that these programs significantly helped a large number of Ukrainians.
"It sounds very nice. But many people suffered, lost their jobs and went on forced leave. In general, people today receive much less. The state must either provide opportunities to people to do something themselves, or provide a place to work. The moment of life has come when it is necessary to create a huge number of jobs. And the restart of state-owned enterprises and industry should play a strategic role in this," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Denys Shmyhal added that the government now spends billions on business support, saved hundreds of thousands of jobs and employed 240,000 people.
The President also raised the issue of ensuring all conditions for Ukrainian scientists to have the necessary equipment, laboratories, funding, and other things, so that strategically our state has the opportunity to create medicines and vaccines in Ukraine in the future.