13:44 18.03.2020

Zelensky signs bill on combating COVID-19 into law

4 min read
Zelensky signs bill on combating COVID-19 into law

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the law "On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine aimed at Preventing the Occurrence and Spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)."

According to information on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, on March 18, the document was returned with the signature of the president.

As reported, on March 17, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Law No. 3219 "On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine aimed at Preventing the Occurrence and Spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)."

Some 344 deputies voted for the adoption of bill No. 3219, an Interfax-Ukraine agency correspondent reported.

The law provides for the creation of a legal basis for the prompt implementation by the state of a set of urgent measures to prevent and treat coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in particular:

- the procurement of goods, works and services necessary for this purpose without applying the procedures provided for by the Law of Ukraine "On Public Procurement," a 100% prepayment for such goods, works and services, exemption from import duties and VAT on medicines, medical products and medical equipment designed to prevent the occurrence and spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), control by the Cabinet on the prices of medicines, medical supplies and socially significant products. Such standards will be temporary and will last three months.

- a set of legal norms aimed at protecting the rights of individuals and legal entities during quarantine and restrictive measures related to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), namely: the possibility of working at home for employees, government employees and employees of local governments and providing vacation by agreement; granting the right to owners to change the operating modes of bodies, institutions, enterprises, organizations, in particular, receiving and servicing individuals and legal entities with mandatory informing the population about this through websites and other communication tools; a ban on the cancellation of a certificate of registration of an internally displaced person (for the quarantine period and 30 days after its cancellation); attribution of the legal fact of quarantine introduction to force majeure circumstances; extension of terms for receiving and providing administrative and other services; a ban on the conduct of state supervision (control) of planned measures for the implementation of state supervision in the field of economic activity.

The law includes an instruction to the government to establish additional weekly wage supplements to medical and other workers directly involved in the elimination of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the amount of up to 200% of wages for the period of implementation of measures to prevent the occurrence and spread of the disease, until the completion of these activities, as well as additional payments to certain categories of workers, providing the main areas of life;

The changes also affect the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is supposed to introduce administrative responsibility for the unauthorized abandonment of the place of observation or quarantine by a person who may be infected with a coronavirus, as well as increasing criminal liability for violation of sanitary rules and norms for the prevention of infectious diseases. Establishment of administrative responsibility for non-disclosure of information on public procurements carried out under this law.

So, the text of the document says that Article 325 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is interpreted in such a way that a penalty of 1,000 to 3,000 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens [UAH 17,000-54,000] will be imposed for violation of the rules and norms established with the aim of preventing epidemic and infectious diseases, as well as mass non-communicable diseases, arrest for a period of six months, restriction or imprisonment for three years, if such actions led or could lead to the spread of the disease. COVID-19 coronavirus will be added to the list of such diseases.

If violation of the observational rules entailed death or other serious consequen

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