The capital is in the orange zone for the first time. How to tighten the quarantine in Kiev from September 14

September 11, 11:17 am

This material is also available in Ukrainian.

The metro, like any other public transport, should not stop in Kiev (Photo: REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko)

NV remembers what rules are provided for the orange zone regions and what will change for the people of Kiev.

What is the situation in Kiev with the coronavirus?

On September 11, a new anti-record was set in Kiev for the number of detected cases of coronavirus infection per day: the diagnosis was confirmed in 404 people. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kiev since the beginning of the pandemic has reached 16,523, of which 261 patients have died and 11,114 people are active patients.

The capital is ranked second among Ukraine’s regions in terms of the number of patients identified with COVID-19 (after the Lviv region).

The situation in Kiev is getting worse: until September 10, the city was in the yellow quarantine zone, until August 13 – in the green one.

Why Kiev ended up in the orange zone

Since August 1, Ukraine has an updated adaptive quarantine principle, according to which the entire country is divided into four color zones with different restrictions. The list of such zones is updated every week, it is approved by the State Commission for Safety and Technogenic and Environmental Emergencies. (TEB and ES).

And on August 12, the Cabinet of Ministers updated the criteria according to which in each of Ukraine’s regions should be introduced (or can be canceled) quarantine restrictions.

Now there are three of them:

• bed occupancy – if more than 50% of beds have been occupied in designated pivot hospitals to admit coronavirus patients for the last 5 days in a row, then this is a reason for the region to move to a higher danger level (for example, from yellow to orange in the case of Kiev);
• mean number of tests by ELISA and PCR – it must be at least 24 per 100 thousand people in the last seven days;
• incidence rate for the past 14 days – must not exceed the baseline for the country (40 cases per 100,000 people).

After the deterioration of the indicators in the capital, the city went from the yellow zone to the orange zone by decision of the state commission of TEB and ES on September 10.

This means that at least two weeks (approximately 14-28 September) in Kiev, the orange quarantine zone rules will apply – previously, this decision cannot be reviewed.

In the table below, you can see which criteria for the incidence of COVID-19 are now exceeded in Kiev:

What restrictions go into effect on September 14

Monday, September 14 in Kiev will be prohibited:

• work of accommodation establishments (hostels, resorts), except hotels;
• entertainment venues and restaurants activities at night;
• planned hospitalization (except assistance to women in labor and pregnant women, emergency cases, oncological and palliative care);
• work out of gyms, fitness centers (with the exception of those institutions that cannot accommodate more than 1 person per 10 m2 m premises);
• reception of new shifts in children’s camps and sanatoriums, including in the suburbs of Kiev.

Special conditions are recommended for educational institutions cities that fall into the orange zone, which now means in Kiev:

• Teachers in schools and universities: wear protective shields even during class (lectures and lessons);
• reduce the number of groups (classes) in educational institutions – should not exceed 20 people.

Also, The previous restrictions on the yellow and green zones remain in effect.:

• mask or respirator in public buildings and transportation;
• cinemas and theaters are not more than half full;
• passenger transport only in seated places;
• the prohibition of visiting social security institutions where older people are (except those who provide crisis services);
• prohibition to remain in the street without identity documents.

What is still allowed

In contrast to the stricter restrictions envisaged for red quarantine zones, in Kiev it will not be prohibited:

• holding massive (cultural, sporting, social, religious and other events): if no more than 220 people participate, at a rate of no more than 1 person for every 10 square meters of the construction area;
• the work of public transport;
• visit educational institutions;
• the work of the shopping center, cafes and restaurants;
• boarding in interregional transport (trains, buses).

Explanations from the mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko, about the new rules in Kiev: