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The Ukrainian government has introduced the weekend quarantine across the country, but not all city leaders supported the innovations.
The introduction of the weekend quarantine in Ukraine runs the risk of becoming a complete failure. Several cities have already publicly refused to comply with the restrictions and even promise to sue the Cabinet of Ministers.
Correspondent.net collected the reaction of local authorities to the government initiative.
Lviv
The first to refuse was Lviv, where the second round of the mayoral elections has yet to take place. The current mayor of Lviv, Andrey Sadovy, announced his rejection of the idea of ”quarantine on weekends”, even before its official approval. On the morning of November 11, he went out on the picket lines protesting the new restrictions on small and medium-sized businesses, and said he fully shared their discontent.
“Shall we still make a decision on quarantine for lunch ?! In my opinion, this is nonsense, stupid,” Sadovy said.
He also announced that he will sue the Cabinet as soon as the official decision on the weekend’s quarantine is released.
According to Sadovoy estimates, 25% of Lviv residents have already had COVID-19. Official statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that 14,372 people (2%) were infected in a city with a population of 748,000. 385 Lviv died.
Ternopil
Ternopil Mayor Serhiy Nadal also said the city will not adhere to the weekend quarantine.
According to him, the decision of the session of the city council and the commission on emergency situations remains in force in the city, according to which the restrictions operating in the Ternopil territory are clearly established. The mayor believes that the new restrictions will destroy the city’s economy.
The mayor urged businessmen to observe quarantine rules as strictly as possible: masking, distance. Restaurant owners are requested to limit business hours to 10:00 PM.
Law enforcement officers are encouraged to verify employers’ compliance with these restrictions in an enhanced mode and not to fine them for the fact that they work.
According to the mayor, re-elected on October 25 for a new term, public transport in Ternopil will work as before: the number of passengers should be equal to the number of seats.
Although Ternopil’s own businessmen have already started looking for solutions to the quarantine problem even without local authorities. So Ternopil businessman Taras Kovalchuk decided to do a trick and turn his restaurant into a temple so he could keep working.
For this business, the businessman, along with 10 other like-minded people, created the so-called Calva Brotherhood.
Chernihiv
On November 13, the Executive Committee of the Chernihiv City Council appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada with a request to review the normative act on the introduction of the weekend quarantine.
During the protest action of the Chernihiv businessmen, Mayor Vladislav Atroshenko, elected for a second term, described the government’s decision as insufficiently balanced. His deputy, Alexander Lomako, said the Cabinet of Ministers invented the know-how: a strain of the virus that is dangerous only on Saturdays and Sundays.
282.4 thousand people live in Chernihiv, during the pandemic the coronavirus was confirmed in 4000, 19 inhabitants of the city died.
Odessa
Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov said on November 11 that the city had received the news of the introduction of the weekend quarantine. “We have more questions than answers. Restaurateurs are among those who will suffer greatly if half of our restaurants don’t close, ”he said.
In Odessa (population 995 thousand) 11,965 cases of coronavirus were registered, 187 people died.
Already on November 15, the city will host the second round of elections for mayors, competitors: Trukhanov and Nikolai Skorik of OLLP.
Cherkasy
Former central government rival, Cherkassy Mayor Anatoly Bondarenko, who is now sick with coronavirus, is also not happy about the weekend quarantine.
“I have not seen more stupid things”, characterized Bondarenko the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to introduce the weekend quarantine.
On November 12, he announced in a video message on Facebook that the new measure would cut small business income to the local budget and as a result there would be no money for the salaries of doctors, teachers, trolleybus drivers, etc. “The city will just stop.” the mayor considers.
And on November 13, the Cherkassy city executive committee and the local commission on TEB and emergencies officially decided not to introduce the weekend quarantine in the city. They said that they decided to welcome the entrepreneurs who asked to allow small shops, catering establishments, as well as shopping and entertainment centers, whose area allows to keep the distance, and the markets.
Cherkasy is home to 274.8 thousand people. During the pandemic, the coronavirus was confirmed in 2,638 inhabitants, 51 people died.
Cabinet response
Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said the refusal of several cities from the weekend quarantine will have consequences for them.
According to the Head of Government, despite the position of the city authorities, the heads of the Regional State Administration will organize inspections of commercial entities with the participation of employees of the National Police and the State Consumer Service.
“The mayors do not have the authority to authorize or prohibit the action of governmental decisions in the territory of a single territorial unit. The government’s decision acts unconditionally and is subject to execution by all business entities located on the territory of Ukraine, ”Shmyhal emphasized.
