Last Sunday, Zelenskyy addressed the Ukrainian people on the National Television. He had this to say, “Today, there are actually three scenarios of how events can develop further. First, we may have from 3 to 5 percent of coronavirus cases. Of course, these figures are upsetting but it is not a catastrophe. That’s why we must be self-disciplined and keep the conditions of quarantine: observe hygienic rules, stay indoors and do not go outside without need. Only then we will be able to weather this storm”.
According to the second and the third scenarios, the worst ones, the disease rates may reach 25 percent and 50 percent respectively.
“The fact is that our system of healthcare is unable to deal with the second scenario, all the more so with the third one. Apart from this, our medical workers won’t be able to handle so many patients”, Zelenskyy said. At the same time, the President expressed his confidence that the epidemic would certainly end and Ukrainians would have a lot of work to do. “Together we will have to build a prosperous and successful country, a country with the population of 40 million and not 20 million. I do not want to scare you, but it is time for all of us to realize that all this is not a joke”, he stressed.
Meantime, the coronavirus infection continues spreading in Ukraine. As the press service of the Ministry for Public Health Care reports, 62 new cases have been registered in the past 24 hours. So, as of March 30, there have been diagnosed 480 patients in whom COVID-19 has been laboratory confirmed. Eleven persons have died and six patients have recovered.
The press service of the Foreign Office reports that with the help of Ukrainian diplomatic services abroad, 144 698 Ukrainians have returned home to this country after the State border has been closed because of the pandemic.
In his television address, the President called upon deputies of the Verkhovna Rada to pass two vital for Ukraine bills which will make it possible to get almost 10 billion dollars of aid from international financial institutions. On March 30, the legislature gathered for an extraordinary session. The first bill bans to return nationalized banks to their previous owners. And the second bill on the opening of land market in Ukraine. The International Monetary Fund insists on the adoption of these two bills.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine has in fact found itself at the crossroads because of the ongoing pandemic. So, the country has to decide what road to choose, either to pass these two vitally important laws that are necessary to stabilize the national economy and cope with the crisis or to follow the second road that may adversely affect the future of the country. “It means the failure of all laws. Then follow an economic recession and even a threat of default”, the President said.
However, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov announced that Parliament was not going to pass these two issues at the current extraordinary session. When asked about whether another extraordinary session was possible to approve these bills, the Speaker said, “If the President requests, we will consider and make decisions”.
In the photo: Chairman of Ukrainian Parliament Dmytro Razumkov.
The newspaper Holos Ukrainy
