Ban on interregional public transport without COVID certificates and cameras to monitor mask rules: Health Ministry's innovations

The cameras will only monitor compliance with quarantine rules and will not identify those who violate restrictions.

Soon in Ukraine it will be impossible to use interregional transport services without a vaccination certificate or a negative test, and from November cameras will start operating to monitor compliance with mask rules and social distancing.

We explain in more detail in this article about the latest innovations of the Ministry of Health.

Restrictions on the use of transport

At the Cabinet of Ministers meeting on October 11, the rules for passenger transportation in regions where a "yellow," "orange" or "red" level of epidemiological danger has been established were tightened.

Thus, from October 21, interregional passenger transportation in "yellow" and "orange" zones will be permitted provided that all drivers, aircraft crew and passengers have one of the following documents:

• a document confirming receipt of one or two doses of the vaccine for regions of "yellow" level epidemic danger;

• a negative result of a COVID-19 test by PCR or a rapid antigen test for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, valid for 72 hours.

A day later, the Health Ministry clarified that in the "red" quarantine zone, both passengers and crew must have either full vaccination with two doses of the vaccine or a negative test. 

The new rules apply to both regular and irregular passenger transportation. This concerns road transport on bus routes, as well as air and rail transport on interregional routes.

The relevant rules will not apply to urban and intra-regional transportation.

The carrier is responsible for ensuring that all drivers, aircraft crew members and passengers have the specified documents.

At the same time, the new rules for passenger transportation between regions will not apply to minors.

Children under 18 will be able to use public transport for trips between regions without presenting negative COVID-19 tests and certificates or international vaccination records.

For children over 12, the mandatory rule to wear protective masks while in public places, including transport, remains in place.

Quarantine monitoring cameras

In Ukraine, in November, the first video cameras for monitoring compliance with mask rules and social distancing will start operating in the two largest cities. 

As part of a pilot project initiated by the WHO with the support of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, such cameras will first appear in Kyiv and Kharkiv or Dnipro, explained Chief Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin.

According to the Chief Sanitary Doctor, "thanks to the installation of video cameras, a depersonalized (without revealing identities — ed.) assessment of the conditional percentage of compliance with anti-epidemic norms will take place."

Ihor Kuzin
Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine

That is, the number of people passing by the camera or its coverage area is automatically counted, and how many of them are wearing masks and how many maintain distance. Complete sets of documents for conducting bioethical expertise and installing such cameras have already been developed. The pilot is planned to be carried out in two large cities — Kyiv and Kharkiv or Dnipro. We expect this pilot to be launched no earlier than November 1 of this year, and we will be able to get the first results within two weeks.

The Chief Sanitary Doctor emphasized that when using such a system, no identification, storage of personal or confidential data, or even of the recording film itself will be carried out.

Ihor Kuzin

This system and this software allow us to automatically show compliance or non-compliance, or a kind of non-compliance, with anti-epidemic requirements.