Ukraine needs more economic solutions during exit from coronavirus epidemic - president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the government has not offered enough economic solutions to get out of the coronavirus epidemic.

He said this at a conference call on combating the spread of coronavirus, according to the presidential press service.

"Today is the stage of overcoming the COVID-19 epidemic, lockdown, when people expect understanding and support from the state. Ukraine needs more economic solutions as it emerges from the epidemic. Given what is happening in the world, we need to create new economic aid programs as soon as possible," Zelensky said.

In this regard, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the government was preparing programs for overcoming the economic crisis after the epidemic. In particular, the issue concerns the refinancing of business, unemployment benefits. He promised to present other economic programs next week.

According to him, the government is calculating the losses from the aftermath of the coronavirus epidemic.

Shmyhal added that, despite rumors, utility bills would not increase. He also noted that the state was on a so-called plateau for almost a week, with the daily number of those who recovered from coronavirus being almost the same as the number of new cases.

At the same time, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov stressed that it was necessary to explain to people that safety during the lockdown remains a priority. After all, in some countries, where restrictions are rapidly being eased, there are new strong outbreaks of infection.

Health Minister Maksym Stepanov, in turn, said he was working with international experts to improve the second phase of health care reform to develop sufficient funding for hospitals and physicians in the period of emergence from the crisis and the transition next year to a new, improved system of medicine that will ensure the work of medical institutions and specialists.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak reported the sending of 18 tonnes of humanitarian cargo from the International Committee of the Red Cross to the non-government-controlled part of Donbas.

op