Kyiv Mayor’s Coronavirus Update – April 6, 2020
06.04.2020
The mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko held a briefing providing an update on the coronavirus situation in Ukraine’s capital and the measures the city is taking to respond.
Klitschko: Over the weekend the number of coronavirus cases has risen to 53 in Kyiv, reaching 267 in total.
New cases are 23 females aged 21-78, 29 males aged 19-82 and an 8-year old boy. Sadly, a 71-year old man has died. Two of the infected Kyivans are medics. There are four coronavirus cases among Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra clergymen. Only three new cases are travel-related.
Nine patients were admitted to the city’s hospitals, 13 are receiving treatment at home.
In total, almost 2,600 Kyivans have been rapidly tested for COVID-19 so far, and 2,124 cases have been tested by laboratories. By the way, the number of PCR tests which have been conducted by the Kyiv health authority accounts for almost 40% of all such tests made across the country (5,800).
28 mobile response brigades collect samples for PCR testing across the city. In this way, 37 Kyivans have tested positive, out of 267.
I want to stress, we do everything we can to prevent the grim situation, similar to that in Italy and Spain. Even the U.S. health system is unable to deal with a growing number of patients admitted to hospitals and requiring critical care.
Every single day Kyiv streets, public transport stops, pedestrian crossovers are being disinfected, some of them twice a day. Special solvents prevent dirt, dust and bacteria from becoming airborne. Public areas in residential buildings, including entrance halls, staircases, elevators, etc. are also being cleaned and disinfected. There are 11,500 such buildings in Kyiv.
The homeless populations are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Due to poor personal hygiene, they can also easily spread the infection. To such people we offer free accommodation in a municipal-owned shelter. Also, we encourage them to return to normal life, offering them day and permanent jobs.
Soup kitchens near the Central Railway Station, Darnytsa and Kyiv-Volynsky Railway Stations will continue to serve free food. The city government has also offered some charities which support homeless people to work together to help all such persons.
Commenting on plentiful complaints about the burning smell, I want to stress that over the past two weeks the city fire brigades attended 131 local fires, primarily due to backyard burns and campfires. There are some 40 fire accidents over the past 24 hours! The smell can be caused also by fires in Kyiv’s suburbs and smouldering peatland fires. Let me remind you that open-air fires are strictly prohibited! Please, call the police every time you witness any cases of setting a fire outdoors.
Yesterday I talked on the phone to prof. Lothar Wieler, chairman of the Berlin-based Robert Koch Institute. He told that the virus responsible for COVID-19 is called novel nowadays, as it is a new variety in a family of viruses. No cure or vaccine for coronavirus exists so far. The hopes are, that a vaccine will be ready by the next year. And no one can predict when the pandemic is over.
According to Professor Wieler, the greatest challenge we face now is to avoid the infection spike that will lead to a collapse of the public healthcare and massive loss of life. So slowing the spread of the virus is our top priority!
No scientists can predict the outbreak peak. As Professor Wieler stated, Germany’s health authority takes every step for its slowdown. Only symptomatic treatment is available for COVID-19, as there is no specific treatment for the infection.
In light of this, Ukraine’s national government places new severer restrictions which also apply to the capital city. They have already caused plentiful debates and even indignation.
You can dislike new measures and I, personally, do, since I used to ride a bike as my everyday morning workout. Like everybody else, sometimes I also feel like strolling in the park. But the rules are imposed and we all have to respect them.
I want to emphasize, that we must do everything possible to control the situation and prevent the spike. We all can make it through a few weeks to remain safe and healthy afterwards!
Stay home order buуs us the time we nееd to slоw dоwn the disease spread. I know, mаnу fіnd it hаrd to stау іnsіdе, they feel bored and restless. But the refusal to cooperate jeopardizes one’s own health and even life.
I do know, my words about a possible restriction on the use of private cars as a tougher response measure were met with anger. Such a step can limit the use of private cars only to essential services employees. But let me underline that the national government is ready to go further and impose the most strict curfew in all Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, in response to further defiant behaviour of the population.
You know, appealing to caution and understanding of Kyivans in this situation, I feel like a preschool teacher. We are all grownups here and must understand the consequences of our behaviour!
And one more thing. Sometimes I am reproached for not being a very eloquent person. But this leaves me unconcerned because every day I keep my fellow Kyivans updated about the coronavirus situation, with no attempt to polish it up. I report the full picture of what is happening. So please, excuse my occasional misspeaking.
It is true, some of our steps are far from being popular and some actors are trying to exploit it. The city government works almost 24/7. We feel our responsibility to protect a few million Kyiv population from the very real danger and we do not have time now for popularity ratings.