Shmyhal recommends Klitschko to address President with proposal to appoint new head of Kyiv City Administration, if he cannot combat COVID-19
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal recommended Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko to appeal to the President with a proposal to appoint a new head of Kyiv City State Administration, if the powers of the mayor and the head of the administration are not enough for him to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
"The government always listens to the advice and calls of local authorities, we are ready to cooperate. If their goal is not political stunt. Kyiv has the most resources and capabilities to make countering the spread of infection and protecting people effective. But if the mayor of Kyiv, who is also the head of the city administration, has a different opinion [...] And he believes that at the same time the powers of the mayor and the head of Kyiv City State Administration are not enough to effectively counteract COVID-19 in the capital, then we can together appeal to the President of Ukraine with a proposal on the appointment of a new head of Kyiv City State Administration," Shmyhal wrote on Facebook on Friday.
The Prime Minister said that today the city of Kyiv remains in the "red" zone, but in case of effective control over anti-epidemic measures, which provides for the "red" level of epidemic danger; the capital will be able to quickly pass the "COVID-19 peak".
"This is what Kyiv authorities should focus on today. Head of Kyiv City State Administration, Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, like other officials, has his own responsibility in the implementation and control over the local lockdown," Shmyhal said.
The Prime Minister said that both the epidemic and the economic situation in the country depend on how each region or city copes with epidemiological threats.
"I would like to note that in some regions, after the State Commission on Environmental Safety, Manmade Disaster and Emergency Response introduced the 'red' level of epidemic danger and the responsible work of local authorities, the situation with the spread of coronavirus has leveled off. For example, today Ivano-Frankivsk region should leave the 'red' zone. This once again shows that adaptive quarantine is working and there is no need to introduce a total lockdown throughout the country," he said.
Earlier on Friday, Klitschko called on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to impose a strict nationwide lockdown throughout the country.