Kyivans wear masks as they walk through the Zoloti Vorota metro station on the first day of the subway’s reopening after a two-month shutdown on May 25, 2020.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told his country to prepare for the possibility of a second wave of the coronavirus, despite uncertainty over whether the first wave has peaked or not. Zelensky stressed the importance of prompt procurement for personal protective equipment (PPE), especially in hospitals, for preventing the spread of coronavirus. According to the president’s press service, the Health Minister Maksym Stepanov reported that over 100,000 respirator masks had just been brought to Ukraine in cooperation with the World Bank. However, top officials and experts continue to state that the amount still falls short.
Zelensky stated: “The world expects a second wave of coronavirus. We coped relatively well with the first, although unfortunately we lost more than 600 lives. We must be prepared with all… in the future.” The president also said that “hospitals, doctors, pharmacies: everywhere there should be masks, disinfectants, equipment. Purchases take too long. It is necessary to look for ways out in order to shorten this process, so that in the future the ministry makes purchases faster. We know what a complicated bureaucracy we’ve got. Find ways to simplify it. Every delay can cost us lives.”
