The government announces the easing of quarantine
At an extraordinary meeting on May 4, 2020, the government officials decided to extend the quarantine throughout Ukraine until May 22, 2020, at the same time, Ukrainians expect the easing of preventive measures from May 11, 2020. How Ukraine will get out of quarantine and how furniture manufacturers will work in our context
In an interview with Ukrainian media, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal explained why the first wave of easing will take place on May 11, 2020. According to him, based on data from scientific institutions, Ukraine will be at the peak of morbidity on May 8-9, 2020, respectively, if the average number of diseases does not change during this time, and it is between 300-550 people per day, then from May 11, 2020, you can to implement the first stage of easing restrictions. But at the same time, the Prime Minister emphasizes that this will happen only on the basis of epidemiological data. On the other hand, the World Health Organization has also extended the pandemic, so quarantine will still be extended.
Who feels the first easing?
The Government has announced the five main stages of quarantine easing. Their implementation will take place gradually if the epidemiological situation allows it. According to Shmygal, the government is actively negotiating with business. It will be recalled that the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers also appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers to hear about business and start implementing concessions for various types of business activities, including furniture producers.
Ordinary Ukrainians will feel the changes primarily by allowing walks in parks, squares, recreation areas. As for business, the first to feel the easing are beauty salons, hairdressers, manicure and pedicure salons, non-food stores, summer restaurants patios. In fact, according to Shmygal, all stores will be opened except for those areas of the mall that cause mass crowds – entertainment areas, children’s areas, cinemas, food courts in malls. All other stores can operate. Museums, libraries will be able to work, training of athletes of national teams, individual training (running, walking, cycling, movement on active wheelchairs of sportsmen with disabilities) will be carried out. Dentists’ offices, auditors, lawyers, notaries, and home appliances service will also work.
The lawyers comments on how the furniture makers will work
Oleksandr Shevchenko, law company “Pravoe delo”
“I want to pay attention to the fact that the production, service (maintenance) of the furniture business did not fall from the beginning, and following certain means of protection and monitoring of the health of employees, this category of business had and has the opportunity to work. The issue only concerns the sale of furniture through relevant offline stores. So I think that this kind of trade should be allowed by the government, but subject to strict health control and protection: masks, gloves, measuring the temperature at the entrance and restrictions on the number of people in the market area.
Because the approach of the state is not objective when large construction hypermarkets are allowed to work, and small and medium-sized businesses are not. So we are waiting for the final version of the changes to reduce quarantine measures in the hope of the best”.
Myhaylo Honcharuk, Honcharuk & partners law firm
“The government has finally published its decision to lift some of the quarantine measures. This is a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine № 343 of 04.05.20. Thus, from May 11, 2020, the ban on the activities of enterprises in a number of industries will be lifted. In particular, trade is allowed only in shops, in particular shops located in shopping and entertainment centres and consumer services, provided that staff (including protection of face, eyes, hands) and visitors with personal protective equipment, including respirators or protective masks, including self-made, staying in the room no more than one visitor per 10 square meters of retail space, as well as compliance with other sanitary and anti-epidemic measures.
It is obvious that such a solution will allow restoring the operation of ordinary furniture stores and shopping and entertainment malls with appropriate restrictions on the sanitary protection of visitors. The requirement for one visitor per 10 square meters of retail space was before – we could all see how it was sold in grocery stores.
Permission to operate shopping and entertainment centres also means the end of the period of “rental vacation” – owners of commercial property will again be able to bill for the use of the premises.”
The transport will work in the current mode
Many with the easing of quarantine, hoped to restore public transport. However, the head of the Government informs that the city transport will continue to work in the modes in which it worked, and the heads of cities and towns will decide to increase the number of transport, change its work schedule and so on. At the same time, the Government is not going to resume long-distance transport connections. As for the work of the metro, its opening is planned in two stages, namely with the third wave of quarantine easing, and only for certain categories of citizens. At the fourth stage, this is practically the stage of ending the epidemic in Ukraine, the subway will work as usual.
The gradual weakening in Europe
So, as Ukraine prepares for the first stage in easing quarantine, governments in many European countries have begun to take similar steps. For example, Denmark has already opened schools for young children. Spain has allowed some businesses to return to work. Poland has also lifted bans on visiting parks and resumed shops, as well as services in temples, in compliance with the number of visitors. The activity of shops up to 300 sq.m. restored in Austria and Slovakia. Hungary and the Czech Republic have also joined in the gradual easing of quarantine. In Germany, meanwhile, although business is easing, people have been required to wear protective masks. France, one of the worst-hit countries, having lost tens of thousands of its citizens, will also seek to ease, although the quarantine has been extended until July 24. President Macron recently said that compulsory home isolation would be introduced for French citizens who had returned outside the EU, the Schengen Area and the United Kingdom.
