The State Roads Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) plans to implement a project to develop a network of roads in western Ukraine in five years, Ukravtodor has said in its Telegram channel.
The project provides for the connection of the regional centers of western Ukraine with each other and with existing transport corridors by high-speed highways with a permitted speed of 110-130 km/h.
The full implementation of the project is planned to be completed in five years.
Ukravtodor said that in 2020 the project for the construction of the Lviv Northern Orbital Road, as well as the first stage of the Dubno, Stryi and Ternopil orbital roads, is ready for implementation. Financing of orbital roads of these cities is provided at the expense of borrowed and grant funds of international financial institutions.
At the same time, international agreements on financing these projects have already been concluded, and procurement procedures will be announced in the coming months.
The Kyivstar mobile operator has extended the limits of deferred payments for individual and business contract clients for the duration of the quarantine, the operator has said. “This will allow customers to defer payment for services used in March 2020 and pay them in April,” Kyivstar emphasized. In addition, for subscribers who do not use credit limits, Kyivstar will cancel the commission when ordering additional funds until April 4.
“Limits in the framework of the deferred payment service are extended until March 31 inclusive. For subscribers who will continue using the services without payment, the limits will be automatically extended until April 4 inclusive. This is done so that subscribers who do not use the services until March 31 do not overpay,” the report says.
In addition, the operator notes that subscribers who switched to the contract using the delayed connection option, that is, signed the contract without the necessary documents at that time, will continue using all the services, and they will be able to provide the necessary documents after the quarantine is completed.
“These are the company’s next steps to help Ukrainians jointly overcome temporary difficulties and adapt to the changes that arise due to the quarantine regime,” the report says.
As reported, Kyivstar canceled the subscription fee for solutions for a remote office.
Prices for live pigs in Ukraine since the start of the year have grown by 25% on average, to UAH 50 per kilogram, KSG Agro agricultural holding has said in a press release. According to him, in January, the cost of live pigs was UAH 40-42 per kg, in March – UAH 50-52.
The rise in price of live pigs at the first stage, according to KSG Agro Board Chairman Serhiy Kasianov, was associated with a seasonal increase in demand for pork.
“In the spring, the demand for pork meat traditionally increases in our country. Firstly, during this period a number of holidays are celebrated starting from March 8, and secondly, spring consumption growth is associated with improved weather: Ukrainians cook more meat in the fresh air,” he said.
Subsequently, prices were influenced by quarantine measures related to the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 in Ukraine.
“Quarantine and sanitary restrictions have led to difficulties in delivering goods and, in particular, pork to different parts of the country. Add to this the rush demand for meat during the quarantine period. In conditions of self-isolation, our compatriots are actively forming food supplies by purchasing products for future consumption,” Kasianov said.
However, according to him, in the near future – before the beginning of summer – one should not expect a significant increase in prices for live pigs, since the further rise in price of pork is limited by the purchasing power of the population.
Synevo, part of Sweden’s Medicover holding, has handed over the COVID-19 diagnostic equipment using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests – the most reliable method for diagnosing this coronavirus disease, to the Public Health Center, Synevo Development Director Mykola Butenko said at a video press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
The equipment made by Swiss Roche will allow increasing the speed and the number of COVID-19 tests and will significantly increase the accuracy of test results, removing human element from the process.
The analyzer’s capacities are 96 tests per hour. Different types of biomaterial (blood, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid and others) can be tested.
The equipment has already been delivered by Synevo to the virology reference laboratory of the Public Health Center in Kyiv, which will perform COVID-19 testing.
“In Ukraine, because of the high cost of equipment, this initial stage is usually tested manually by laboratory staff. This limits the speed and number of tests performed. Using the new analyzer will minimize the human factor. As a result, we will significantly increase the number of tests performed and eliminate the risk of human error,” Butenko said.
The use of new equipment will increase the safety of the laboratory staff, since the apparatus performs the process of RNA extraction from the biomaterial automatically, therefore, the laboratory staff will no longer have to contact samples of potentially infected biomaterial.
To launch the analyzer, representatives of Roche Diagnostics in Ukraine will be involved in the startup of the equipment, as well as in special training for employees of the Public Health Center’s laboratory how to use the equipment.
The PCR method directly detects DNA or virus RNA in the biomaterial, therefore this method is the most reliable in the world for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of March 24
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has stated that the stabilization fund of the state will be about UAH 200 billion.
“We are creating the state stabilization fund, its size will be about UAH 200 billion. This will be absolutely enough to provide pensioners, those who today will need help due to job loss,” Shmyhal said in the Svoboda Slova (Freedom of Speech) program on ICTV Channel.
The prime minister emphasized that the state has resources for such expenses.
Among other things, Shmyhal noted that in the near future an expert strategic council will be created to make solutions that will allow going through the crisis most mildly and begin developing after its completion.
The premier noted that at the moment Ukraine is more prepared for a possible crisis than in 2008.
