KIEV, March 24. /TASS/. The government of Ukraine currently sees no need to impose the nationwide state of emergency amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, because the disease has been spreading at a moderate pace, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said.
"At present, there is no need to declare the state of emergency in Ukraine," he told the ICTV channel on Monday, citing "moderate dynamics" in the number of those infected.
At the same time, he admitted that the trend might reverse at any moment.
The prime minister announced that Ukraine was setting up a stabilization fund of 200 billion hryvnia (about $7.2 billion).
"We are creating a stabilization fund. It will amount to about 200 billion hryvnias," he said.
The money will be directed to support those in need and help businesses to recover.
Novel coronavirus in Ukraine
The number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Ukraine has risen by 10 in the past day to reach 83, Ukrainian Health Minister Vadim Lyashko said on Monday.
"According to preliminary information, we have 10 new cases of coronavirus," he told the ICTV channel, adding that final data will be published on Tuesday morning.
Therefore, the number of those infected in Ukraine increased from 73 to 83 in the past day. Three of them died and one person recovered.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian citizens continue to return to their homeland from abroad. According to the country’s interior ministry, more than 72,000 residents have returned to Ukraine since the quarantine was declared. A total of 151 Ukrainian citizens are quarantined in other countries, while 21 are being treated from COVID-19 abroad. Six Ukrainians recovered the novel coronavirus abroad, but three died.
Among those diagnosed with novel coronavirus in Ukraine are several lawmakers of the country’s unicameral parliament, Verkhovna Rada, including a member of the pro-presidential party Ruslan Gorbenko.
On Monday, the Ukrainian government announced a series of new measures to contain the disease, including a complete ban on tourist trips abroad. All airports in the country were closed, except for the Borispol airport near the capital Kiev.
Ukraine introduced a nationwide quarantine from March 12 to April 3. Starting March 17, Ukraine has shut down all aviation, railway and bus service with foreign states and within the country. Shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, gyms and other non-essential facilities have been closed. Only supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and banks are still open.
A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December 2019. Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported in more than 150 countries and territories. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially described the situation with the novel coronavirus as a pandemic.