There is currently no need to introduce quarantine in Ukraine due to influenza and COVID-19 - Ministry of Health
Kyiv • UNN
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine does not see the need for a national quarantine due to influenza and COVID-19, relying on regional measures and anti-epidemic protocols.
Currently, there is no need to introduce a nationwide quarantine in Ukraine due to the flu and COVID-19. Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin told UNN.
Details
When asked whether the situation currently requires the introduction of quarantine in Ukraine, Kuzin replied: "As of today, no. Regarding quarantine, this option was preserved in the pre-digital era, then there was a nationwide quarantine, and after it was canceled, the old option returned. In fact, it works very simply: if we record an excess of the average annual incidence of influenza or ARVI in a region or district, then the emergency response commission gathers at the request of the chief state sanitary doctor, which can declare quarantine in the region.
He noted that quarantine is an extreme measure, as the so-called enhanced anti-epidemic measures are most often applied when the first signs of an increase in the incidence are recorded.
"It may be a recommendation to wear a mask, transfer employees to a remote work format, introduce certain restrictive measures to prevent crowds, etc. These restrictive anti-epidemic measures are usually sufficient. This prevents such an outbreak and allows us not to introduce quarantine," Kuzin said.
Kuzin said that at the beginning of this epidemic season, several regions exceeded the epidemic threshold.
"This issue was considered by the regional level emergency response commission, a list of local and anti-epidemic measures was adopted, and the situation began to improve, without quarantine. As of today, no region has exceeded the threshold, so no such decisions are made, and we expect that the numbers may increase slightly in terms of the incidence rate at the end of January, but let's hope that this will be avoided due to timely anti-epidemic measures," Kuzin said.
Addendum
At the end of November 2023, Kuzin reported that quarantine could be introduced in three regions due to the spread of COVID-19.
Add
In the first week of this year, more than 10,000 new cases of influenza, ARVI, and COVID-19 were registered in Kyiv. Ten adults died in hospitals as a result of the disease. Kyiv authorities advise wearing masks in crowds due to COVID-19 and flu risks, sharing the WHO's concerns.
