Ukraine may expect several lockdowns soon over surges in COVID-19 cases – expert

Immunologist Vadym Aristov has said Ukraine may expect several lockdowns soon over new surges in daily COVID-19 cases.

"We will have a nationwide lockdown any week soon. Then, the situation will stabilize for a while, and, perhaps, if it is in force for over three weeks, it will go down. As soon as the lockdown has been lifted, everything will start going uphill, but it will be a bit easier with an increase in [the air] temperature and humidity," he told Ukraina 24 TV channel.

Aristov predicts the next surge in new cases this autumn.

"The situation will go wild this autumn, and, most likely, [we'll see] another lockdown, and then in winter. And it is very important that everyone understands that it won't be resolved within a month, as many entrepreneurs expect," he added.

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• On March 23, 2021, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said Ukraine would not impose the nationwide lockdown in the near future. Quarantine curbs will be introduced only in certain regions, where the number of patients and hospitalizations will grow.
• He also predicted the number of COVID-19 patients per day could reach 25,000 in the next two or three weeks.
• On March 27, the number of regions in the red quarantine zone was reduced from 13 to 10, which is below 50% of their total number. The authorities earlier said that there should be more than half of the regions in the red zone for a lockdown to be introduced. Tough quarantine restrictions are now in effect in the red regions.