11:47 15.07.2020

Health Ministry admits revision of criteria for dividing countries into "red" and "green" zones

2 min read
Health Ministry admits revision of criteria for dividing countries into "red" and "green" zones

The Ministry of Health does not exclude the possibility of revising the criterion for dividing the countries into the "red" and "green" zones and using the incidence rate [the number of new cases in the last seven/14 days] instead of the number of active patients per 100,000 people, Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"At the stage of agreeing on what principle borders will be opened, including in the EU, the level of active patients per 100,000 of population was discussed. At the end of June, we introduced the criterion of 40 active patients per 100,000 people. After that, EU countries changed this indicator to incidence rate. We also monitor this and do not exclude that we will revise the criteria in the direction of incidence rate in order to take such an indicator as in Europe," he said.

Stepanov added that the ministry had initiated an increase in the rate of active patients to 55 per 100,000 of population.

"In connection with the increase in the number of active patients in Ukraine (more than 62 per 100,000), we proposed to increase this criterion to 55 per 100,000 of population. That is, countries with the number of active patients more than 55 per 100,000 of population will fall into the 'red' zone, less than 55 - in the 'green' zone," he said.

The minister emphasized that those who arrived from the countries of the "red" zone may early withdraw from self-isolation mode by passing the PCR test for COVID-19.

"Regarding laboratories at airports, according to our information, the Ministry of Infrastructure is considering the possibility of installing laboratories at the Boryspil Airport and at the Lviv Airport," he added.

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