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Coronavirus pandemic

Ukrainian government set to extend nationwide quarantine until April 30

The quarantine and the state of emergency were due to expire on February 28

KIEV, February 17. /TASS/. During its Wednesday session, the Ukrainian government is set to extend the nationwide quarantine and state of emergency until April 30, according to a draft governmental decree published on the cabinet’s website.

"The draft decree envisages extending the quarantine in Ukraine until April 30,2021; extending <…> the state of emergency until April 30, 2021," the document reads.

The quarantine and the state of emergency were due to expire on February 28.

The decree also envisages ranking the country’s administrative regions according to a color-coded scale of epidemiological danger. Minimal quarantine restrictions will be in place in "green" zones, more severe requirements will be introduced in "yellow," "orange" and "red" zones. Starting from February 22, the entire country will be considered a yellow zone, with further adjustments made in separate regions to reflect the epidemiological situation.

On February 16, the overall number of coronavirus cases in Ukraine reached 1,276,618. A total of 1,122,968 patients have already recovered, while 4,542 died.

Kiev rejected Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine but is in talks with other global vaccine producers. In late 2020, the Ukrainian authorities announced the country’s first contract for the purchase of over 1.9 mln doses of a coronavirus vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech company. The country was expected to receive the first 700,000 doses of the vaccine in February but the delivery has been postponed tentatively until April. Ukraine also expects to receive vaccine supplies through the COVAX platform.

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