The Ukrainian government has made several decisions changing the entry requirements for foreign citizens and stateless persons, the country’s State Border Guard Service said on Saturday. Under the government decree No. 477, approved on June 12, the temporary entry ban for foreigners is no longer effective.
Another decree, No. 480, of June 12, requires foreigners to have a relevant insurance policy and those arriving from countries with high number of coronavirus infections to undergo observation.
For the duration of the quarantine, foreigners and stateless persons (except permanent residents, refugees, or persons seeking additional protection) will be banned from entry if they do not have an insurance policy (certificate) to cover the costs relating to COVID-19 treatment and observation, the decree said.
Arriving from, or being a citizen of, a country with a high number of COVID-19 cases shall be ground for observation, the government said.
“To ensure the transportation of persons from state border checkpoints to observation facilities, the government has compelled regional and Kyiv city state administrations,” the agency said.
At the same time, a citizen (subject) of a country with a high number of COVID-19 infections, who has not been in that country in the previous 14 days, foreign diplomats and consular officials, representatives from accredited international missions and organizations and their family members, drivers and crew members of cargo transport vehicles, air, sea and river crews, members of train and locomotive brigades, participants in an external independent audit (with one accompanying person each), will not be required to undergo observation, unless there is a reason to believe that they have been in contact with a COVID-19 patient.
Also exempt from observation will be those who agree to self-isolate using an act-at-home electronic service.
A country is considered to have a high number of COVID-19 cases if it had at least 40 active cases per 100,000 population.
A list of such countries will be updated and submitted by the State Border Guard Service to the Foreign Ministry every three days.
Therefore, foreign citizens and stateless persons may cross the Ukrainian border from the effective date of the Decrees No. 477 and No. 480, providing they have legal grounds for entry, as stipulated in the Ukrainian border control law, and observe sanitary epidemiological rules.
The Cabinet of Ministers has extended until July 1 the ban on export of anti-epidemiological products. The government made the corresponding decision at a meeting on May 27.
“It is proposed to change the validity of the licensing regime for export of anti-epidemiological products until July 1, 2020. In fact, we extend the ban on export of such goods by one month,” Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko said.
The government also allowed export of waterproof laboratory suits and disposable isolation medical gowns of types 1-5 of protection.
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry has decided not to ban flights of passenger planes with the age of over 20 years as it was announced in summer last year, but the ministry would toughen control over its technical conditions by the State Aviation Service of Ukraine.
“We expressed our understanding for the numerous appeals of airlines not to prohibit the use of aircraft with the age of over 20 years… The State Aviation Service will toughen control over the technical condition of aircraft used for transportation of passengers,” the Infrastructure Ministry said on Monday, citing Minister Volodymyr Omelyan, who spoke at a meeting for preparation of airlines servicing charter flights for the summer season.
The Infrastructure Ministry said that Director General of the Boryspil airport Pavlo Riabikin, Head of the State Aviation Service Oleksandr Bilchuk, the top managers of SkyUp, Azur Air, Ukraine International Airlines and others took part in the discussion.
Omelyan said that the situation that had developed last summer, when airlines were massively delaying charter flights and did not provide information and services to passengers in due time, should not be repeated this year.
He said that in March 2019, a new edition of the aviation regulations for the transportation of passengers and baggage entered into force. Separately, delays and transfers of flights will be strictly controlled, as this is the responsibility of the air carriers.
According to the minister, Ukraine will also introduce European directives relating to the environmental friendliness of aircraft.
The Infrastructure Ministry said that, according to aviation regulations, in the event of a flight delay, the carrier is obliged to provide passengers with the necessary services at the established standards, as well as meals and soft drinks, and the ability to make two free calls.
If the flight is delayed the next day, the carrier is obliged to provide passengers with hotel rooms, meals, and an airport-hotel-airport transfer.
The EU is aware of the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to ban Austrian journalist Christian Wehrschutz from entering Ukraine and expects that such decisions will be taken in accordance with fundamental rights and freedoms, including the European Convention on Human Rights. The EU press secretary said in his comments, handed over to Interfax-Ukraine in Brussels on Friday.
Having informed that this fact is known in Brussels, the agency’s source noted that the EU attaches great importance to freedom of expression and the media. We expect that any of such decisions will include careful consideration of the rights to freedom of expression. We also expect the Ukrainian authorities to refrain from imposing any unnecessary restrictions on the free flow of information and freedom of the media, the agency’s source said.
At the same time, the press secretary recalled that the EU fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Protection of national security and citizens should be carried out in full compliance with fundamental rights and freedoms, including the European Convention on Human Rights, he stressed.
Earlier, First Deputy Head of the Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information Policy Olha Chervakova reported that the Security Service of Ukraine had prohibited head of the Ukrainian bureau of the Austrian ORF TV channel Christian Wehrschutz from entering the country because of the “threat he poses to national security.”
A group of lawmakers from the Verkhovna Rada have registered bill No. 9507 proposing that sale of plastic bags in stores and other retail outlets is banned. According to the explanatory note to the bill, it is proposed to prohibit the implementation of ultra-light and light plastic bags. Exceptions are biodegradable bags and ultralight bags for meat, fish, and bulk solids. In addition, the bill provides for mandatory labeling of plastic bags.
The bill aims at reducing the amount of safe waste from polyethylene.
According to the information on the website of the parliament, 60 MPs were the initiators of the bill, including Boryslav Bereza (member of no faction), Serhiy Kiral (Samopomich), Olena Sotnik (Samopomich), Mustafa Nayyem (Petro Poroshenko Bloc), Oleksiy Mushak (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) and others.
China has lifted a ban on imports of Ukrainian poultry products, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumers Protection has said in response to Interfax-Ukraine’s inquiry.
“This information is true, but the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service has not yet officially received it. This is about lifting the ban on importing poultry and poultry products to China,” the authority said.
The authority explained that China banned imports of Ukrainian poultry products in 2005-2006 over the avian influenza.
“In fact, the lifting of the ban is one of the prerequisites for opening the market, and not the resumption of supplies of Ukrainian poultry and poultry products to China. Until now, Ukraine has not exported these products to China,” the authority said.
As reported, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumers Protection expects that in 2019-2020, markets in 24 countries for Ukrainian poultry products will be opened.
