Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with the most recent update from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on the coronavirus situation in the country:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says there is no need yet to declare a national state of emergency even as a leading health official announced 10 more cases of coronavirus.
"At the moment, there is no need to introduce a state of emergency in Ukraine. A state of emergency is introduced when there are extreme events. Today, the development of the coronavirus in Ukraine is quite moderate compared to many European countries," Shmyhal told local television late on March 23.
He added that measures the government is currently taking are ample for the time being, though the situation may change in the coming weeks due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Chief Medical Officer Viktor Lyashko said on March 23 that preliminary tests show 10 more people have been infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Confirmation of their tests is expected on March 24 and could raise the number of confirmed cases to 83. Three deaths have been recorded linked to the virus.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 72,000 Ukrainians have returned from abroad, including from some of the hardest hit European countries, since a nationwide quarantine was imposed from March 12 to April 3.
Among those diagnosed with the coronavirus are several members of parliament, including Ruslan Horbenko, a member of the ruling party.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the heads of church confessions to conduct prayer services online and without the presence of people at places of worship.
"I thank those church leaders who understand the danger and conduct divine service online, without people. I am sure other leaders will join these forced measures. After all, today people really need faith, but they equally need basic security," he said.
Since March 17, all aviation, rail and bus services with foreign countries and within the country have been shut down. Shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, gyms, and other nonessential facilities have been shuttered. Only grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, and banks are still open.
The previous day, Kyiv further closed public transportation, allowing only critical personnel to take buses, trolleybuses, and trams. Metro systems were closed in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro on March 17.
Several cities, including Kyiv, have declared states of emergency.
That's all for the live blog tonight. See you again tomorrow!
Here's a video from Kharkiv, courtesy of Current Time and RFE/RL's Ray Furlong:
Ride-Sharing And Home Workouts: Kharkiv Amid Coronavirus
After the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv closed its subway system due to the coronavirus, a service matching drivers with people who need a lift began to flourish -- apparently contradicting social distancing measures. Elsewhere in the city, other innovative means of dealing with the new situation of living in lockdown were also emerging.
