2020 Activity Report
March Activity Report
31 March 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【Ukrainian Spring】
It's time for seagulls to dance high in the sky. Wood pigeons and thrushes came, and the singing of great tits and crows crying like cranes are competing in the treetops. In the past, when birds came across Ukraine, spring came, so there was a custom to bake bird-shaped sweets so that the birds would bring spring soon.
【University of Lviv this month】
As the number of new cases of COVID-19 surged, universities were shut down and all classes moved remote lessons.
The 2nd online exchange meeting was held between Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) students and students majoring in Japanese at Lviv University on the 28th. Two students from TUFS (New 1, Second 1) and six students from Lviv University participated. They exchanged views on how to live under COVID-19 disaster (Whether we can go out to play, the situation of taverns and restaurants, etc.), Japanese Christians, corruption in Ukraine, and the languages they use.
If you have the chance, I would like to hold the 3rd exchange meeting again. In that case I will announce it through the university, so please check it occasionally if you are interested in. We welcome both repeat guests and new commers.
【Status of spread of COVID-19 infection】
From the end of January to the end of February, the number of cases increased by 326,319 nationwide (February: 128,394), including 24,752 cases in Lviv Province (February: 7,732) from the end of January to the end of February. The average number of cases is about 326,319 (Approximately 4,586 in February) nationwide and about 794 (Approximately 276 in February) in Lviv. The maximum number was 17,424 nationwide (on the 27th) and the minimum number of infected people was 3,261 (on the 9th) this month.
In order to control the spread of the disease, the city of Lviv still launched stricter quarantine measures in the "orange" level, but it ended up in the "red" level, where strict lockdown is mandatory.
According to the Ministry of Health, the UK variant spread throughout the country and caused an outbreak. As a result, provinces, including Kyiv, the most severely affected city in the country, and Lviv, the second most seriously affected state, became "red" and severe lockdowns began. However, unlike last spring, public transportation is currently in operation. Conditions of use vary by municipality. People can't use public transportation without a permit in Kyiv. It's said that people can get on normally at Lviv, but I haven't tried it yet, so I'm not sure (However, in any case, it is possible to refuse boarding due to the limited number of passengers.).
According to a recent survey, 71% of Ukrainians believe the virus was created by humans. The objectives include "In order to reduce the population" (40%), "It was an academic experiment." (31%), "be a bioweapon" (27%), "To create an economic crisis" (17%), "to make money from vaccines," (16%), "to control people," (12%), and "To strengthen the influence of developed countries" (4%). I won't do a detailed analysis with all these data here, but it's an interesting survey that shows various views of the Ukrainian world.
【ensuing incident】
Continuing skirmishes are being reported almost every day, but recently neighboring Russia has escalated its military provocations, moving its military forces near Ukraine's border and into the temporarily occupied Crimea, and preparing all Black Sea fleet submarines for action. There are countries in the world that take advantage of the "emergency situation" of neighboring countries, such as epidemics and disasters, to reach out to the islands of other countries. As the Russian government is losing its bargaining chips with the West, there are concerns that unforeseen situations may arise.
At the United Nations, 47 countries including Japan have declared a resolution that the Russian Federation is not a mediator of the War in Donbass, but a country of aggressior. The United States, Europe and Oceania are the main supporters, and none of Japan's neighboring countries are in favor, since then countries have been urging Russia to stop the escalation of the situation. The Russians say it is a normal move, but some military experts expect Russian troops to begin military operations in late May, when mud dries and armored vehicles become mobile.
It has recently been revealed that Russia has fired ballistic missiles into Azerbaijan territory.
It's a lot of trouble ...... I cannot find the words to say about it.......
【Reference】
ウクライナ国内でイギリス型変異株発見（4日17:34付報道）
リヴィウに強化検疫措置を導入（17日12:29付報道）
サドヴィーイ市長、リヴィウ市へのロックダウン導入に言及（17日13:52付報道）
ウクライナ入国にPCR検査陰性証明書を要求（19日11:13付報道）
ウクライナ、ワクチン接種第二段階へ（19日10:28付報道）
サドヴィーイ市長「ロックダウンはコロナウイルス拡大を断ち切る唯一の手段」（19日10:52付報道）
ダーリヤ?ポペレーチュナ「1300人以上のウクライナ人がCOVID-19に再感染」（18日付報道）
ワクチン接種第二段階開始（22日14:49付報道）
リヴィウ市ロックダウン4月3日まで延長（22日13:07付報道）
サドヴィーイ市長、ロックダウンの新決定を説明（22日15:10付報道）
外国人のウクライナ入国にPCR検査を義務付け（23日10:08付報道）
リヴィウ州「赤」区分へ（23日11:09付報道）
リヴィウ州、イギリス型変異株に直面（23日13:50付報道）
ウクライナ入国とPCR検査の新規則のQ&A（24日付報道）
明日からリヴィウは赤区分。新たな禁止事項（24日10:50付報道）
カテレィーナ?ホロシュチャーク「ウクライナ人71％がコロナウイルスは人為的に造られたと看做す」（25日付報道）
ステパーノウ保健相、検疫措置は年末まで、3週間後には1日の感染者数2万5千人（27日01:31付報道）
ステパーノウ保健相、攻撃的「イギリス」株がウクライナ全国に蔓延（27日18:54付報道）
リヴィウ市、強化検疫措置を延長（30日12:57付報道）
リヴィウ市、強化検疫措置を4月12日まで延長（30日12:23付報道）
国連47カ国、ロシアは侵略国、ドンバスの調停者にあらず（26日22:36付報道）
February Activity Report
28 February 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【This month’s University of Lviv】
The second semester started this month at the University of Lviv. The university partially resumed face-to-face classes as the number of new cases of coronavirus infection have decreased. As a general rule, practice courses are conducted face to face, and lectures are conducted remotely, though this is not strictly followed. As for the class schedule, remote classes and face-to-face classes sometimes directly follow one another. With no proper Internet connection on campus, some teachers seem to be experiencing difficulties in delivering online classes.
【Spread of new coronavirus infections】
The number of new cases from the end of January to the end of February was 128,394 nationwide (January: 164,408) and 7,732 in Lviv (January: 9,918). The average number per day was about 4,586 nationwide (about 5,303 in January) and about 276 in Lviv (about 320 in January). The highest daily tally of new cases this month was reported on the 27th with 8,172, and the minimum on the 1st with 2,030.
The number of new infections decreased in the past two months due to the New Year holidays and the lock-down from January 8 to 24 but is gradually increasing again. The number has decreased significantly compared to the peak, but it has been pointed out that the number of those who get tested is also decreasing. At the university, there are some students who experienced severe cold-like symptoms for a long time during winter vacation but don’t know what it was because they didn’t get tested.
Also, Coronavirus vaccinations started this month. In Ukraine, various kinds of vaccines are imported from several pharmaceutical companies.
The Ukrainian government claimed that the January lockdown was a success and extended the quarantine period until April 30. At the same time, new measures were introduced on February 24. In particular, the previous four-level color-coded system was reintroduced nationwide and now divided the states into four colors: green, yellow, orange, and red, in order of increasing infection risk. As of February 24, the entire country was classified as yellow and if the situation worsens, the color will shift to orange or red. If the situation improves, the color will shift to green. Regulations by color have been revised from the previous ones. (In my opinion, as far as educational institutions are concerned, regulations have been significantly weakened, and the conditions have been revised to make it difficult for classes to go online.). Also, a newly added rule states that if the situation improves in more than 13 cities in Ukraine so as to meet the conditions to be classified as green, the whole country will be regarded as green.
Personally, I think that the regulations are much looser than before. (It is not yet known whether it has a weaker, unchanged, or stronger effect in real life.) I suspect that the government is trying to keep the people motivated by making the regulations appear looser at first sight and showing them the light at the end of quarantine. Some people seem to assume it is okay to disregard the rules so long as everyone gets vaccinated in the end; but, no matter where you are, it’s important to maintain alertness without thinking it’s somebody else’s job to ensure safety.
For more information related to Covid-19 in Ukraine, please refer to the Japanese website of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine ([https://www.ua.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/consular.html] Effective as of February 30, 2021).
【Anniversaries】
February 25 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of the most famous female Ukrainian poet, Lesya Ukrainka (1871 – 1913). Her works are hard to come by, but some of Ukrainka’s works are available in Japanese translation, so please look for them. A video celebrating the poet’s 150th birth anniversary has been made in Japan, in which Professor Emeritus NAKAZAWA Hidehiko of TUFS participated.
February 26 is designated as the Day of Resistance to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. On that day in 2014, people organized a rally in Simferopol, the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, in protest against the extraordinary session of the Crimean Supreme Council, which was to be convened as part of the Russian Federation’s attempted occupation of Crimea. Even now, fighting continues in the eastern front with endless casualties despite the ceasefire agreement.
On the anniversary, the Embassy of Japan reaffirmed its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity; and declared that “Crimea is Ukrainian territory” and that it would not recognize Russia’s so-called “annexation” of the Crimean peninsula.
【Reference】
インドは2月にウクライナへ5万回分のアストラゼネカ製ワクチンを提供（21日00:26付報道）
最初のワクチン到着（23日11:40付報道）
最初のワクチンが認可（23日付報道）
最初のファイザー製ワクチンが認可（23日付報道）
リヴィウ州、ワクチン42200回分受領（25日11:03付報道）
リヴィウで医師へのワクチン接種開始（25日14:12付報道）
リヴィウで最初のワクチン接種実施（25日17:14付報道）
150年前にレーシャ?ウクライーン生まれる（25日10:15付報道）
レーシャ?ウクライーンカについて教科書に書いていないこと（25日付報道）
日本もクリミアをウクライナ領と看做している（26日15:39付報道）
December Activity Report
31 December 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【 this month’s University of Lviv】
The university had regular classes until the second week of this month, and the final exams began in the third week. Examinations at Ukrainian universities are very strict as scholarship eligibility will be decided based on one’s performance. Also, there is no system of repeating a year so you will be expelled from university if you fail the final exam or the retest. The idea is that if you don’t pass the exam after that much effort, it means you are not suited for the course and it is better for you to quit as soon as possible. From another point of view, it may be easier to advance to the next year compared to Japanese universities because there are several retests. Whatever the case, it’s a lot of work.
This year is the first time in history that the final exams will be conducted remotely, so there seems to be lots of trials and errors. In Ukraine, oral examinations have traditionally been the main method of examination, but it seems that it would be quite difficult to do individual online examinations of that sort. Some teachers will therefore use written exams, but even the written exams will be carried out in a variety of ways– some will be done online through websites, some others will have students write on paper and then send a picture of it. Using an online feature to set submission deadlines seems to pose a challenge for students, as the deadlines are exact to the second. In addition, network connections are quite bad in Ukraine, so blackouts and disconnection of the Internet are common all year round. Some students seem to have failed the exam because of that.
Winter vacation came right after the finals.
【Spread of new coronavirus infections】
The number of people infected by the new coronavirus continues to increase in Ukraine. On November 24, the total of those infected exceeded one million, but the overall number has been decreasing since peaking on November 28. As of November 30, there were 1,055,047 patients nationwide, including 61,268 in Lviv. From the end of November to the end of December, the number of infected people was 322,422 nationwide (345,144 last month.), of which 15,190 (16,250 last month.) were in the Lviv Province. Thus, the average number of new infections per day was about 10,401 (About 11,505 last month) and 490 (About 542 last month) in Lviv. The maximum number of people infected on a single day this month was 15,131 (December 4) nationwide, and the minimum number of people infected was 4385 (December 28). On the other hand, the province of Lviv had more recovered people than newly infected patients on the 5th.
The “weekend lockdown” which was scheduled to last until the end of last month was removed as scheduled because the target was achieved. The “adaptive quarantine measures” system, in which local areas are color-coded in accordance with the spread of the infection and different measures are taken at each level, has been abolished because the whole country was classified as “red” and “orange”, the two worst categories. Therefore, regulations equivalent to the orange level have been uniformly imposed.
In Ukraine, where Christian events are emphasized (although there are Muslims as well), January 7, which is Christmas in the lunar calendar or Julian calendar, is considered an important national holiday. Therefore, the government has decided to avoid this holiday and strengthen quarantine measures from January 8 to the 24th (lockdown) in order to prevent the spread of the infection. The details are as follows (The following is a translation from a list on the Prime Minister’s Facebook page. We are not responsible for any mistranslation, so please contact the relevant authorities if it is important.).
[Prohibited matters]
?Going to an educational institution (Kindergartens and nursery schools are excluded)
?Operating coffee shops, bars, and restaurants (Delivery and takeout are excluded.)
?Conducting large events (Entertainment, sports, social, advertising, etc.)
?Opening shopping centers (Shopping center establishments that fall under the [Permitted matters] category are not subject to the regulation.)
?Accepting visitors to cultural facilities and holding cultural events
?Accepting visitors to sports centers, fitness clubs or swimming pools
?Operation of economic entities for commercial and daily services (Items corresponding to the following [Permitted matters] are excluded);
?Sales in non-retail markets (Retail markets are allowed with restrictions)
[Permitted]
○Operation of inter-city and international routes for public transportation, automobile, air and railway passenger transportation
○Buying and selling retail goods
○Sale and purchase of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and veterinary drugs
○Sale and purchase of hygiene products, telecommunications equipment, food (pet food)
○Technical service and repair of motor vehicles
○Service of gas stations (excluding eating and drinking areas)
○Business of financial institutions (Bank)
○Postal service
○Barber shop (beauty parlor) and beauty salon operation (Only with prior reservation)
○Hotel operation (The restaurant is open from 6 o’clock to 11 o’clock.)
○Non-spectator sports events of professional clubs
【Reference】
週末の検疫措置は廃止。橙区分を適用（2日13:44付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/12/2/7275614/
冬休みの検疫措置の規制項目（9日6:55公開、シュメィハーリ首相のフェイスブック）
https://www.facebook.com/dshmyhal/posts/225858355648042?__tn__=%2CO*F
コロナウイルス減少へ。ステパーノウ保健相、ロックダウンを中止しない理由（28日09:52付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/12/28/7278346/
November Activity Report
30 November 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【This month’s University of Lviv】
The season of autumn leaves came to an end quickly, and hail began to fall on the 29th, bringing a soft snowscape the next day.
Entry to the University of Lviv has been restricted since October 19th, and all classes have been conducted online since. As a result, classes for international students, previously conducted only face-to-face, have now become available online, allowing students from Japan to participate.
As announced last month, we held a language exchange meeting on November 29th between TUFS students and Japanese language majors at Lviv University. Five students from TUFS and nine students from Lviv University participated. The conversations covered topics such as the local situation in each country and the connections between Ukrainian, as a language, and Russian. Students conversed mainly in Japanese and Ukrainian, occasionally switching to English or Russian. Each student prepared a self-introduction, and the TUFS students did their best to prepare them in Ukrainian, even though it is not their major language. The Lviv University students had prepared a slide presentation to introduce their town and university, in addition to a self-introduction in Japanese.
This was our first attempt at a language exchange meeting, and although there was room for improvement, it was a fulfilling and fun event. I’m glad we arranged it. We would like to do this again if there is an opportunity. In that case, we will announce new information through the university, so please check the website from time to time if you are interested. (As there are examinations at both universities in December and January, we will not be holding the session until the end of this period.)
【The Spread of COVID-19】
The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Ukraine continues to increase. As of November 30th, there were 732,625 patients nationwide, including 46,078 in Lviv. From the end of October to the end of November, the number of infections in Lviv increased by 345,144 (178,522 last month) nationwide and 16,250 (9,478 last month). Thus, the average number of new infections per day was about 11,505 (5,759 people last month) and in Lviv about 542 (306 people last month). The maximum number of infections per day this month was 16,294 nationwide (recorded on the 28th). On the other hand, in the state of Lviv, the number of daily recovered cases has been surpassing the new infections per day since November 5th.
This month, the President and the Minister of Health were reported to have been infected with COVID-19.
A weekend lockdown was announced on the 4th and was in place for three weeks from the 14th to the end of November. Also, as the whole nation was classified as “orange” or “red,” the system of infection risk classification per zone with different restriction levels was lifted, and the uniform nationwide quarantine measures have returned. The present restrictions imposed nationwide equal to those of “orange.” Fines for people who do not wear masks were also highlighted (while reduced to a realistic amount). It was also announced that if citizens and local governments do not follow the rules, and the weekend lockdown turns out to be not as effective as expected, a complete lockdown including weekdays will be imposed.
With the mayoral runoff election is around the corner, Lviv Mayor Sadovyi refused to introduce the weekend lockdown, saying the government’s idea is “a joke.” The mayor, who owns restaurants and many tourist facilities, is always mindful of the business impact and is a strong ally of the business community. The mayor also took the bizarre step of declaring all Saturdays and Sundays in Lviv as “weekdays” to avoid the “weekend lockdown.” Similar measures are taken in other cities, but I think the city of Lviv was the first to take such actions. Mayor Sadovyi has been popular for being a constant churchgoer, and this time he won his fourth consecutive term (one term is five years) perhaps aided by the popular appeal of his out-of-the-box idea of cancelling “weekends.” From now on, let’s call him Mayor Ikkyu. I hope that this year will be the term to see long-standing problems finally solved, such as the garbage issues that have been left unaddressed for years and the unclear use of the city budget. Personally, I would like to see his friend, working at a Turkish company, rectify the road construction method that he has been using for many years.
In the neighboring city of Ternopil, businessmen owning restaurants called “bald head” and “Leliwa” (the name of the family crest of Tarnowski and the founder of the city of Ternopil) were reported to have registered their premises as religious facilities to avoid closure of their restaurants on weekends. It’s called “Bald Brotherhood”. We might need to check whether people who still have hair can also enter the restaurant.
It almost feels as though people are having comedy battles all over Ukraine.
【Reference】
今後、公共空間でのマスク非着用は罰金（6日12:47付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/6/7272620/
サドヴィーイ市長、リヴィウは「週末ロックダウン」を導入せず（11日19:18付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/11/7273228/
政府、適合検疫を廃止、週末ロックダウンを導入（11日15:26付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/11/7273181/
サドヴィーイ「週末ロックダウンはたわごと」（11日13:24付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/sadovyy_karantyn_vyhidnogo_dnya__tse_durnytsya_355038.html
全国で厳格な「週末ロックダウン」実施（11日16:00付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/v_ukraini_zaprovadyly_zhorstkyy_karantyn_vyhidnogo_dnya_355059.html
テルノーピリ市、週末ロックダウン実施を拒否（13日14:07付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/13/7273451/
チェルカーセィ市、週末ロックダウンの無視を決議（13日13:45付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/13/7273447/
「うちに週末はない」リヴィウ市、ロックダウン回避のため土日を平日化（13日18:48付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/13/7273497/
ジトーメィル市、週末ロックダウン実施せず（13日17:01付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/13/7273480/
キーウ市、Ки?в п?де на локдаун вих?дного дня – КМДА（13日15:28付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/13/7273467/
ソフィーヤ?コチュマール＝ティモシェーンコ「テルノーピリ市で週末閉店回避のためビジネスマンが所有するレストランを寺院と宣言」（13日付報道）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2020/11/13/243010/
シュメィハーリ首相、政府の決定は法であると自治体に強調（13日14:24付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/13/7273453/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、週末検疫措置拒否の市長へ（14日21:36付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/14/7273581/
何人のウクライナ人がマスク非着用で罰金を科されたか大統領に報告（23日14:19付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/11/23/7274533/
October Activity Report
31 October 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【This month’s University of Lviv】
In response to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, the Ukrainian government has called for the closure of educational institutions and transition of all classes online. As a result, all classes at Lviv University have been switched online since October 19. Entry to the campus without permission is also prohibited. It can be said that it is the same condition as spring and summer.
On October 30, our university held the TUFS Online Study Fair 2020, where students gave presentations on their study abroad experiences. During the event I announced that we are planning to hold language exchanges between Japanese students at TUFS and Japanese language majors at Lviv University. The first language exchange event is scheduled to be held at 6 pm JST on November 29. Please contact us if you are interested in interacting in Ukrainian and Japanese. Third-year students from Lviv University are planning to participate, and everyone is looking forward to it.
【The Spread of COVID-19】
The number of COVID-19 cases in Ukraine continues to increase. As of September 30, there were 387,481 patients nationwide, including 29,828 in Lviv Province. The number of confirmed cases from the end of September to the end of October was 178,522 (87,744 in September) nationwide and 9,478 (5,840 in September) in Lviv Province. Thus, the average number of new infections per day was about 5,759 (about 2,925 people in September) nationwide and about 306 (about 195 people in September) in Lviv Province. The highest number of infected people per day this month was 8,752 nationwide (October 31).
According to the WHO, the number of infections in Ukraine per day is expected to increase to around 9000, but I’m afraid it might increase even more. Control measures, including closures of commercial facilities, will take place, bringing a certain amount of impact on people’s lives. I think people should take infection control measures more seriously to prevent that from happening, but it seems that many don’t share the same view. People are interested in vaccines and other things that are more potentially risky and cost more effort and money, but they don’t appear to be interested in simple daily precautions. Fortunately (or unfortunately), there isn’t a particularly strong social opposition going on against infection control measures in Ukraine, as in other EU countries. It seems to me that people are just not that interested.
Any violation of quarantine measures is a violation of the law and is subject to fines. The restrictions on ordinary citizens are not strict so far. But it seems that if a large number of people illegally gather to hold concerts or other events, they will be investigated as illegal acts. The president has also made a speech to criticize heads of local governments who are uncooperative in quarantine measures, holding them accountable for the spread of the disease.
This month saw a lot of big news: a Ukrainian military transport plane crashed during training, causing the deaths of more than 20 people in the line of duty; the Orthodox Church of Cyprus recognized the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; the Constitutional Court of Ukraine ruled as unconstitutional the obligation of tax declaration to expel fraud and corruption including hiding property, prompting the EU to threaten Ukraine to strip the right of visa-free travel to EU. But the mayoral elections also attracted a lot of attention. The elections and local assemblies were held as scheduled on the 25th, but some of the elected mayors were infected and died of COVID-19. I think the uptick in new coronavirus infections were due to the election campaigns in various places and gatherings of unspecified people. Since the vote was held in the midst of the spread of infections, instructions had been given to take all possible precautions. However, hygiene problems that violated the instructions were noted at polling stations, such as staff not wearing face masks (masks are not in short supply, and I believe they can be bought in supermarkets or anywhere else) and the lack of partitions that are required to be installed. In the mayoral election of Lviv, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff election on November 22.
【Reference】
カテレィーナ?ホロシュチャーク「WHO、ウクライナでは毎日9千人まで新規患者数が増加する見込み」（1日付報道）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2020/10/1/242523/
シュカールレト教育相、児童に対する2週間の遠隔授業の実施を要請（10日14:16付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/10/10/7269487/
政府、教育機関への推奨事項を公表（14日16:22付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/10/14/7269897/
検疫措置、2020年末まで延長（13日17:10付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/10/13/7269798/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、ケールネス市長らのせいで大勢が亡くなったと批判（22日18:21付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/10/22/7270824/
サドヴィーイ?リヴィウ市長の家族が罹患（27日122:41付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/10/27/7271467/
緊急事態を年末まで延長（28日16:09付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/10/28/7271560/
September Activity Report
30 September 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【The University of Lviv this month】
The weather suddenly changed as soon as September arrived, and it is taking longer and longer for my laundry to dry.
The new school year has begun at the University of Lviv. The situation of COVID-19 infections in the city of Lviv has not dramatically worsened or improved, so both face-to-face and online classes have begun as scheduled. If a student is found positive or is suspected of infection, the whole class will be moved to online for 2 weeks from the last day the student was in contact with other students in the class. (There’s a class where this has unfortunately already happened.) Also, due to the delay in the entrance examination schedule, new students, both undergraduates and graduates, will start classes on October 15th.
The current measures taken at the University of Lviv are scheduled to end on October 31st but will be extended if the situation does not improve.
【The spread of COVID-19 infections】
The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Ukraine is on a steady rise. As of September 30th, there were 208,959 patients nationwide, including 20,350 in Lviv. The number of people infected from the end of August to the end of September was 87,744 nationwide (51,331 in August and 25,550 in July) and 5,840 in Lviv Province (4,984 in August and 4,091 in July). Thus, the average number of new infections in the country per day was 2,924.8 (1956 in August and 824 in July) and approximately 195 in Lviv (161 in August and 132 in July). The highest nationwide number this month was 4,027 on the 30th.
This month, the infection spread widely among celebrities, including the Patriarch of Kyiv, former presidents, lawmakers, and heads of local governments.
This month, the focus of the epidemic has shifted to the East and South, with the eastern province of Kharkiv competing with the central city of Kyiv for the top spot in terms of the number of new infections. In Kharkiv, the mayor was infected, and on the day that the city of Kharkiv had the largest number of infections in the nation, he was flown to Germany for emergency treatment. (It was the same plane that transported Mr. Navalny who had been poisoned in Russia.). It appears that he does not trust medical treatment in Ukraine very much, though I think the citizens of Kharkiv are being treated in Ukraine.
The increase in the infection rate was much notable in the East and South in September, whereas the increase in Lviv (being high to begin with) was moderate compared to the overall rate. I think the expansion of the virus was caused by the movement of people during summer vacation, but we have not yet seen an official analysis.
There are free and paid PCR tests, and people can take the free one if they have symptoms. However, the students who took the test told me that three weeks have passed since they took it and they still haven’t been informed of the results yet…… I haven’t heard what happened since. Another student who took a test during summer vacation seemed to have received a positive result pretty quickly. As the infection is spreading widely, the laboratory seems to be in a difficult situation. Despite the anxiety and all sorts of inconveniences, students won’t be able to attend face-to-face classes if they don’t find out their PCR test results. In addition, if a worker (including part-time employees) is tested positive, they are not allowed to go to work until they get a negative result. By the way, if you have no symptoms, you have to pay for the test, so it will cost a lot of money considering the standard salary in Ukraine.
Going beyond criticizing the government, local governments that were put in the “red zone” have started preparing a lawsuit against the national government, claiming that they “suffered economic damage” due to various restrictions since spring. The president has criticized the anti-quarantine movement saying that it was led by local government leaders and assemblies as a campaign for unified local elections scheduled on the 25th of this month. Who gets more votes, those who criticize harsh quarantine measures or those who criticize lax quarantine measures? Quarantine efforts are not always a central theme of their campaigns, so the attitudes towards the anti-coronavirus measures might not directly affect election results, but there may be some trends.
【Lifting the entry ban on foreign nationals】
The entry restrictions on foreigners were suddenly enforced from August 28th, but it was lifted on the 28th of this month as scheduled. Also, the entry conditions for foreigners have been greatly relaxed, making it possible to enter the country virtually without being checked for anything. (Carrying insurance for COVID-19 infection is mandatory.)
【Reference】
リヴィウ大学の検疫措置、10月31日まで延長（7日13:14付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/karantynu_u_lnu_imeni_ivana_franka_prodovzheno_do_31_zhovtnya_350434.html
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、検疫措置に反対する暴動市長は「選挙民のご機嫌取りをしている」（9日16:45付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/9/7265847/
数百人のユダヤ教巡礼者、ベラルーシからウクライナへ入国を試みる（14日21:01付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/14/7266381/
ハールキウ市長ケールネス氏、治療のためドイツへ空輸（16日23:04付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/18/7266877/
ケールネス市長をドイツまで移送した航空機はナヴァーリヌイ氏を救った機材（17日付報道）
https://www.avianews.com/ukraine/2020/09/17/navalny_plane_transported_kernes_to_berlin/
「ハシディズム人民共和国」疫病蔓延下のウーマニのユダヤ教新年（18日05:30付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2020/09/18/7266780/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領「地方選挙がなければ新型コロナ感染症は少なかった」（18日17:00付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/18/7266877/
ウクライナ、ヨーロッパで万博体育官网app感染症による1日の死者数第2位（20日06:16付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/20/7267002/
「赤区域」には新しい制限（21日14:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/21/7267127/
外国人再びウクライナ入国許可（28日付報道）
https://www.avianews.com/ukraine/2020/09/28/foreigners_can_entry_to_ukraine_again/
国家国境庁、ウクライナへの外国人の入国方法を説明（29日11:00）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/29/7268072/
ウクライナ国会、代議士のあいだでの万博体育官网app感染症感染爆発により検疫措置（30日14:05付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/30/7268261/
August Activity Report
31 August 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【Education at the University of Lviv this month】
It’s summer break at Lviv University.
The new academic year/term will begin from the 1st of next month, and there will be a mixture of both face-to-face and online classes. Classes in which students and teachers need to interact (foreign languages, etc.) are face-to-face, and lectures in which only the instructors speak are online (infection control ……?) Also, due to a month’s delay in the examination schedule, the entrance date for new students (undergraduate and graduate) has been moved to September 15.
【A Rise in COVID-19 Infections】
The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Ukraine is increasing explosively. As of August 31, there were 121,215 patients nationwide, including 14,510 in Lviv. From the end of July to the end of August, the number of infections increased by 51,331 (last month it was 25,550) nationwide and 4984 (last month it was 4,091) in Lviv Province. Thus, an average of about 1,656 people (about 824 people last month) per day nationwide have been infected, and about 161 in Lviv (132 last month). Every day, the number of new infections per day broke a new record, with the highest figure in August being 2,481 nationwide (Aug 29th). Lviv Province and the capital city of Kyiv were constantly exceeding each other’s numbers of infected people per day. Putting aside the official stance, many people have not taken any measures, so the number will continue to increase in the future.
This month, some celebrities, including politicians and entertainers, have been tested positive.
【COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories !?】
I heard that there are a certain number of people who insist that the virus does not actually exist in Ukraine, and I was able to talk with one of them. There are no infected people in his village, even though some people have returned from visits to Italy or the United States. He has never seen an infected person, so the existence of the virus and the pandemic is fake.
If a virus can be seen by the naked eye, that would be creepy!
【Quarantine Measures】
On August 1, a new quarantine system was introduced, in which we break down the risk levels to the four stages of green, yellow, orange, and red. Each step up from green to red indicates the increase of threat level along with the need for certain corresponding actions. The color is reviewed periodically according to data. Lviv has been in “orange” for a while now, the second highest level of risk. However, the city is not going to take any particular actions since it has already implemented measures of its own.
There seems to be a lot of antipathy in the areas designated as “red.” The cities of Ternopil and Lutsk, which were first designated as “red”, have announced that they will reject the required measures, such as stopping transportation. Since then, some of the municipalities designated as “red” have announced their refusal to take countermeasures too. (There have been cases in which some municipalities have strengthened their measures.) They criticize that the four-stage designation is discrimination, political conspiracy, or based on erroneous data.
What was interesting (for lack of a better word) was that the mayor of the city of Ternopil, which was the first to reject strengthening measures, compared the lockdown to the city blockade in the 16th century, saying, “Such a blockade of the city was only in the days of the Tatars” (“Такаблoкада м?ста була х?ба за час?в татар”).
First mentioned in historical sources in 1540, Ternopil was built by the Great Crown Hetman, the castellan of Kraków, and voivodes of Kraków, Jan Amor Tarnowski (1488 – 1561), as a base of defense against aggression from the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. In 1548, Tarnowski, a brilliant strategist, dammed the Seret river to create an artificial lake in order to block the passage of the attacking cavalry. This is the Ternopil artificial lake, on which the castle of Tarnowski still stands today.
The mayor’s remarks seem to have been made in light of the history of the town. After the annexation of Crimea due to the invasion of Russia, Crimean Tatars (citizens of Ukraine), have taken refuge in various parts of Ukraine. There are such refugees in Lviv city, so I think there are probably some in the nearby city of Ternopil too. How did those people feel about the mayor’s remarks? Historically, Ukraine and the Crimea Khanate have had difficult relations of hostility and cooperation, but now they are supposed to face a common enemy……
In any case, the spread of the disease is serious, and the governor of the state of Ternopil was later infected with the disease. This can be said nationwide, but I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to review the quarantine measures. There are concerns about the negative impact on the economy, but I think the people who are actually playing a part in the spread of the infection and worsening the economy are those who use public transportation without wearing masks, who are talking loud in crowded places, having parties, throwing fireworks in the middle of the night as if they were on vacation, and partying from morning till dawn. That’s how I personally felt during this summer.
【Entry Restrictions on Foreign Nationals】
It was announced out of the blue at the end of August that foreigners will be banned from entering the country from August 29th, and then was scheduled forward to the 28th. In reality, the ban was imposed to prevent the entry of Jews on pilgrimage to the Jewish holy site in Umani, Ukraine, during the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). It is said that the Israeli government has asked the Ukrainian government to stop the Israeli citizens from making the pilgrimage. I guess they are concerned about bringing the virus back from Ukraine, where the spread of the disease is so serious.
Uman is the city where Reb Nachman (1772 – 1810), founder of the Hasidism sect, spent his last days. To visit his grave, many congregants come together in this small city of about 83,000 people every year, not only by regular flights but also by private charter flights.
Foreigners are prohibited from entering the country for 30 days. At first, transit passengers with a transit stop of less than two days and short-term students were supposed to be allowed to enter the country. However, it seems that someone entered the country under false pretenses and went to Uman, prompting the total ban. As a result, only a limited number of people are allowed to enter the country at present, including diplomats, people qualified for long-term stays (including long-term study abroad), and refugees (however, Belarusian citizens are accepted as an exception). Some people criticize that such a sudden enforcement of entry restrictions could undermine the international credibility of Ukraine. And some people are indeed being greatly affected by this. If we were to have a short-term student from TUFS this year, we would have been in a tough spot.
It was interesting to learn that the Israeli government could not ban its citizens from traveling to Ukraine, but the Ukrainian government has the power to ban foreign nationals from entering the country.
【Reference】
検疫措置の規則変更（1日00:15付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/1/7261440/
リヴィウ州3地区とリヴィウ市、橙に（1日11:27付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/try_rayony_oblasti_ta_misto_lviv__u_pomarancheviy_zoni_poshyrennya_koronavirusu_348060.html
リャシュコー保健省副大臣、ルーツィクが赤でキーウとリヴィウが緑の理由を説明（1日12:55付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/1/7261484/
ルーツィク、検疫措置強化を拒否（1日14:18付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/1/7151355/
テルノーピリ、検疫措置強化せず（1日15:54付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/1/7151356/
保健省、色分け区分に政治的意図なし（1日16:23付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/1/7261499/
リャシュコー副大臣、ウクライナは感染者数世界第34位（1日18:18付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/1/7261507/
テルノーピリ市長、交通機関停止について政府へ：「君たちは君主になることにしたのか？ 君たちは、下僕だ」（3日10:10付報道）※与党政党の名称は「人民の下僕」。
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/3/7261608/
テルノーピリは「赤」じゃない」：市民、検疫措置に反対（3日10:53付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/ternopil_chervonyy_tilky_na_dumku_kyieva_mistyany_proty_obmezhen_348126.html
「暴動を起こした」：禁止に違反し乗客がテルノーピリで列車を停車させる（3日付報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-53636440
テルノーピリ、厳格な検疫措置を拒否：「こんな封鎖はタタール時代以来」（3日13:20付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/3/7261632/
「橙」のリヴィウ、追加措置は講ぜず（4日12:37付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/4/7151385/
テルノーピリ市長、赤になったのは3倍の人数を検査したため（4日18:07付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/4/7261796/
首相、9月1日より「通常の」学年開始（9日13:59付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/z_1_veresnya_v_ukraini_pochnetsya_normalnyy_navchalnyy_rik__shmygal_348506.html
内閣、色分け基準を変更（12日14:22付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/12/7262663/
シュメィハーリ首相、西ウクライナにおける爆発的感染拡大の原因を説明：結婚式と宗教儀礼（17日14:31付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/17/7263200/
ウージュホロド、検疫措置強化（17日16:57付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/17/7151547/
サドヴィーイ?リヴィウ市長、遠隔授業を信頼せず（18日14:34付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/sadovyy_ya_ne_viryu_v_dystantsiyne_navchannya_349049.html
ウクライナ、新規感染者数世界第15位（20日03:07付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/20/7263550/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領の息子、コロナウイルスから回復（21日11:28日付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/21/7263724/
カテレィーナ?ホロシュチャーク「保健省、重症患者のみ入院させる方針」（21日論説）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2020/08/21/242043/
大統領夫人、コロナウイルス闘病について語る（21日17:41付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/21/7263787/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、ウクライナのコロナウイルス第一波は始まったばかり（22日13:52付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/22/7263878/
テルノーピリ州知事、万博体育官网app感染症に罹患（22日15:15付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/22/7151617/
ティモシェーンコ元首相、万博体育官网app感染症に感染、重症（23日13:25付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3086227-timosenko-zahvorila-na-covid19-stan-ocinuetsa-ak-vazkij.html
「コロナウイルスは冗談ではない、すぐ隣りにいる」フレーイムト氏万博体育官网app感染症に感染（23日16:04付報道）
https://tabloid.pravda.com.ua/focus/5f4269481853e/
ティモシェーンコ氏「“存在しないウイルス”はやはりいる」（24日09:24付報道）
https://tabloid.pravda.com.ua/person/5f435944a9542/
チェルニウツィー、「赤」認定に抗議（25日11:13付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/25/7264064/
政府、検疫措置を2ヶ月延長：10月31日まで（26日14:01付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/26/7264247/
ウクライナ、29日から外国人の入国を禁止（26日報道）
https://www.avianews.com/ukraine/2020/08/26/ukraine_to_prohibit_foreigner_entrance_from_28august/
イスラエル政府、シュメィハーリ首相に巡礼者のウーマニ行き阻止を要請（28日15:24付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/28/7264514/
ウクライナ入国可能者について（27日報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-53929727
ウクライナ、感染者数世界第26位（29日03:33付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/29/7264563/
またも新規感染者数最高値を更新（29日08:44付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/08/29/7264569/
July Activity Report
31 July 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【Education at Lviv University this month】
Lviv University is now on summer break after practical courses were conducted online until earlier this month. The university’s facilities remain closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Regarding the allegations of plagiarism in the dissertation by the Acting Minister of Education, who was appointed last month, he himself led the pursuit of this allegation and also issued a comment stating that, being a collaborative study, it was not a problem. In my last report, I only had basic information on the matter at hand, so for the sake of equality, I wanted to include in this report the counterargument that was issued this month.
【Quarantine measures】
So far, Ukraine is having a mild summer this year (in my opinion). However, the weather in Ukraine has become more like Japan’s, where good weather is followed by a sudden downpour. According to the locals, it was not like this before. There were also heavy floods in the mountains.
Now, Lviv is in a full-on holiday mood. People play loud music outside in the daytime and party from sunset until dawn. This utter normalcy makes me wonder if the new virus was actually just an urban legend.
From what I heard, there are a certain number of people in Ukraine who deny the existence of COVID-19. I don’t know if it’s relevant, but the Ukrainians have been extremely reluctant to cooperate with the government’s measures to curb the spread of infections. I understand that there are opinions for and against the policies and responses of the national and local governments. However, the President and other authorities of the national and local governments are asking for people’s cooperation every day. You would think that the citizens would be a little more willing to help, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’m beginning to feel somewhat sorry for the government officials. The state and local governments may have some room for improvement; however, the Ukrainian anti-coronavirus national task force is led by doctors, so I believe it wouldn’t be that different from other countries.
This month, Lviv continued to compete in dead heat with the capital city of Kyiv for the country’s top spot in the number of new cases of infections. The number of infections in July (the number on July 31 minus the number on June 30) was 25,550 nationwide (4091 of them in Lviv Province), which means an average of 824 new cases per day (according to data from the State Statistical Office of Ukraine, the national population of Ukraine is 41,785,758, and that of Lviv Province is 2,506,733 as of June 1, 2020). Some say that the actual number of people infected is much higher.
On the other hand, the infection prevention measures have been so relaxed that they seem to be almost non-existent at this point (in my opinion). The relaxation of the measures comes with conditions: wearing a face mask, keeping social distance, and ensuring good ventilation. However, this seems to be an “excuse” to achieve the lift of quarantine measures (again, this is just my personal opinion). Even if the state and local governments were to demand these measures seriously, how many people, shops, and facilities would actually comply with them? Numerous violations have been noted during on-site inspections.
The fact that less than 10% of people outside wear masks says it all. In Japan, for example, there are videos and photos demonstrating that adequate ventilation is secured in seemingly closed spaces such as movie theaters and public transportations like buses. While cinemas, theaters, and transportation facilities have resumed operations in Ukraine, we have not received any information that any such tests are being carried out. Are they testing privately? If the verification results are open to the public, it is reasonably convincing, but if they are kept private, it has the opposite effect.
Lviv is known as the state that did not support the current government during last year’s election. Expectedly, people in Lviv have neglected the government’s measures during this pandemic. The link between supporting party/political beliefs and the way people face quarantine measures has been studied in the US, and I feel there would be academic value in a similar study in Ukraine. There have also been reports in Europe that women are more cooperative than men, and this should also be investigated in Ukraine.There was one family I saw, where the mother and daughter were wearing face masks and the father and son were not. Age and regional differences might also be relevant to people’s attitudes towards quarantine. Researchers and journalists should not miss out on this “once in a lifetime opportunity” for research. However, it seems that various studies are not so active in Ukraine (perhaps because of the lack of budget and research funds). Of course, the number of people wearing masks might be too small to get any meaningful results……
Another interesting aspect of the Ukrainian mentality is the way they present themselves on social media. In Japan, celebrities show how seriously they are working to prevent the spread of infection by posting pictures of themselves wearing masks and posting videos of what they do at home instead of going out. The Japanese Prime Minister also made a post to that effect. You can get a glimpse into how they regard their social position and influence. In contrast, Ukrainian celebrities often post pictures of how they are enjoying their holidays in Europe or southern island resorts. Of course, it’s not like they post pictures of themselves naked wearing face masks on the beach. Some people do post pictures of themselves in a mask, but they seem to be in the minority (this is merely my personal impression). Many people seem to assume that the pandemic is a non-issue. I don’t mean to say whether this is good or bad, but it seems to me that their mindset, or their sense of value is quite different from those of Japanese people.
Politicians and local authorities are asking people to comply with quarantine measures, but that also seems to be a bit of a problem; for example, if you look at the parliamentary debates that are open to the public, there are quite a few people who are not wearing masks in enclosed spaces. The state legislature is not so different, as if you go to their website you’ll find photos of the speaker without a face mask and the listeners with face masks, and so on. This is not a good example for the people. Well, it’s a democracy, so maybe the people are the example of the legislators and not the other way around.
Quarantine measures, such as closing shops and prohibiting the use of public transportation, have caused great inconvenience, and it is understandable that there are calls for a mitigation citing to economic concerns. However, not many people seem to think that citizens should cooperate in infection control measures so that quarantine measures can be eased.
On the other hand, at hospitals, some doctors take on all the patients by themselves while their colleagues are on leave or quit their jobs for fear of infection. In fact, many of them have been infected and some have died in line of duty.
On another note, Lviv has been unable to meet the relaxation criteria for a long time. Finally, the go-ahead was finally given on July 6th, and it was implemented as swiftly as possible. However, on the day of implementation, the number of new cases exceeded the criteria and it became no longer possible to mitigate quarantine measures. Ironically enough, I remember seeing the headlines “Lviv Province to Relax Quarantine Measures” and “Lviv Province Fails to Meet Relaxation Criteria” lined up side by side on news sites. It seems strange to me, as a layman, that if the city can meet the criteria for even one day out of 10 days, mitigation is implemented the next day. Even if the situation worsens the next day to a state as bad as it was before it met the criterion, the relaxation is still intact. Subsequent worsening conditions will not reverse the relaxation once it has been implemented. I didn’t realize that the relaxation of infection prevention measures should be accomplished by catching the virus off guard…
Quarantine has been extended until August 31. The government seems to think that the situation will not settle until at least autumn, but the President feels that an extension of quarantine for more than a month should be avoided (Japan also extends its measures for one month at most). Also, there was a change in the quarantine system on August 1, with the implementation of four new stages: green, yellow, orange, and red. Each step up from green to red requires a designated response. Lviv was identified as “orange”, the second highest level of risk of infections. However, it seems that the city is not going to take any particular action in response to this.
【Reference】
首相、シュカールレト教育相代行自ら盗作疑惑の情報を追及（3日12:24付報道）
https://www.unian.ua/politics/shkarlet-prem-yer-vislovivsya-pro-plagiat-u-naukovih-robotah-shkarleta-novini-ukrajina-11060789.html
シュカールレト教育相代行、論文盗作を説明（4日12:22付報道）
https://www.unian.ua/politics/shkarlet-skandalniy-shkarlet-poyasniv-plagiat-u-svojih-naukovih-robotah-novini-ukrajina-11062028.html
シュメィハーリ首相「大学は新年度の教育課程をいつどのような形式で開始するか、各々決めてよい」（30日19:40付告知）
https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/denis-shmigal-universiteti-mozhut-sami-viznachati-koli-i-v-yakij-formi-yim-pochinati-osvitnij-proces-u-novomu-navchalnomu-roci
ナターリヤ?ブシュコーウシカ「9月1日から勉強はどうなるか。教育相の推奨」（30日付論説）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2020/07/30/241802/
検疫措置について
https://covid19.gov.ua/karantynni-zakhody
検疫措置の緩和条件について（5月14日10:00付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/14/7251572/
8月1日から諸外国に関する赤?緑の基準を変更（29日09:54付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/29/7261057/
検疫措置の新たな4段階区分について（31日19:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/31/7261414/
内閣、公共の場におけるマスク非着用に罰金を主導（1日13:58付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/1/7257771/
保健相、マスク非着用者に提案される罰金について説明（2日09:36付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/2/7257864/
リヴィウ州、感染者数トップを独走（3日09:16付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/3/7150978/
リヴィウ市の医療機関の病床ほぼ95％埋まる（3日18:07付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/3/7150988/
保健省、リヴィウ州は検疫措置緩和に該当（6日11:54付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/moz_lvivska_oblast_gotova_do_poslablennya_karantynu_346613.html
リヴィウ州、検疫措置を緩和、ホテル、レストラン、スポーツセンター開業へ（6日18:58付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/6/7258384/
リヴィウ州、検疫措置を若干緩和、その内容（7日08:44付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/na_lvivshchyni_trohy_poslabyly_karantyn_shcho_dozvolyly_346662.html
万博体育官网app感染症、リヴィウ州新規感染者144人（7日09:01付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/covid19_na_lvivshchyni_pidtverdyly_shche_144_vypadky_zahvoryuvannya_346663.html
リヴィウ州、再び検疫措置緩和不可（8日11:46付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/8/7151046/
リヴィウ市、一連の施設今日から営業再開（8日10:58付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/sogodni_u_lvovi_nyzka_zakladiv_vidnovlyuie_robotu_u_povnomu_obsyazi_346737.html
ウクライナ人はコロナウイルスに関する公式情報を信用せず（14日13:32付報道）
https://gazeta.ua/articles/life/_ukrayinci-ne-viryat-oficijnij-informaciyi-pro-koronavirus/974456
У Львов? в?дкриються дитсадки та готел?（14日19:15付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/14/7151133/
ナターリヤ?ブシュコーウシカ「37.2度以上で登校不可、保健省、教育機関の再開条件を発表」（15日付論説）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2020/07/15/241641/
テテャーナ?プリャーツォク「万博体育官网app感染症に二度罹ったリヴィウ市民」（16日06:00付記事）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/articles/2020/07/16/7151152/
リヴィウ空港、コロナウイルス検査所を開設（16日付報道）
https://www.avianews.com/ukraine/2020/07/16/airport_lviv_launched_covid19_testing/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、検疫措置の長期的延長の回避を要請、「みんなもう疲れた」（16日13:09付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/16/7259584/
リヴィウ州、197人の感染者（16日09:01付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/covid19_na_lvivshchyni_dodalos_shche_197_hvoryh_347175.html
リヴィウ市、すべての文化施設が営業再開へ（17日17:21付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_vidnovlyuyut_robotu_vsi_zaklady_kultury_347302.html
政府、検疫措置を夏の終りまで延長（22日14:14付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/22/7260285/
リヴィウ市、大規模イベントを許可（22日11:32付報道）
https://sos.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/22/7151225/
内閣、検疫措置各段階での禁止事項を公表（25日11:19付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/25/7260661/
保健省、PCR法の陰性判定の大半が誤判定の可能性（26日15:30付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/26/7260737/
ウクライナにおける万博体育官网app感染症、1ヶ月で3倍に（29日13:37付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/07/29/7261099/
June Activity Report
30 June 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【The University of Lviv and education this month】
The university is still closed this month to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In Ukraine, where the new school year begins in September, graduation and final examinations are held in June. This year, tests were also conducted online as university facilities were closed. There are practical training courses from the end of June to the beginning of July, and after that, we will have summer vacation. Therefore, the university facilities will remain closed throughout the summer.
Speaking of universities, the External Independent Evaluation, which is a combination of the school’s (elementary, middle and high school equivalent) graduation examinations and university entrance examinations, was conducted from June 26 to July, about a month later than originally planned. In the past, the principally oral entrance examinations which used to be conducted by universities, tended to be a hotbed of unfair evaluations, bribery, and illicit admissions; corrupt traditions from the Soviet era. Therefore, this examination, similar to Japan’s National Center Test for University Admissions, was introduced as the alternative during the Yushchenko administration. After taking this examination, students are approved for graduation from school, and at the same time, the eligibility for university scholarships (tuition exemption) is determined according to the scores. After the test results are out (after August 1 this year), university applicants apply to the university of their choice.
As you can see, the External Independent Evaluation is an extremely important test for students. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, the date for this year’s test was long undecided. There were speculations to the last minute that the examination might not be held. The cancellation of the mock exam which was scheduled to be held on June 15 was announced suddenly on the 13th, referring to the risks of gathering many people indoors. Until a few days before the actual exam, there were concerns that the current administration was considering abolishing the examination system and returning it to the original university-based system (To ease the tension, the government repeatedly declared that implementation of the External Independent Evaluation was indispensable.). In the end, the examination took place, taking measures such as health checks and wearing masks for the examinees and their supervisors.
This month marks the first anniversary of the inauguration of the current Ukrainian administration, but the Minister of Education has not yet been appointed. A while ago, the Acting Minister of Education was finally appointed. I think it has something to do with the implementation of the External Independent Evaluation, for it is the supervision department of the university. However, there has been a lot of criticism from educators and the media. For one thing, he’s been criticized for being a former supporter of the Yanukovych regime. (He later left the party.) It has also been pointed out that his dissertation was a complete plagiarism, a copy and paste of someone else’s paper. (He has denied plagiarism.) Therefore, the prime minister, who was responsible for appointing him, justified the appointment by citing his “bright vision and experience as a manager” (?В чолов?ка добре ? ясне бачення, ма? менеджерський досв?д ?). In terms of excellent management skills, I would have assumed that an economic expert could contribute more to the country, but I hope that said excellent management skills will lead to a dramatic improvement in the treatment of university faculty members, who are somehow deemed to deserve only minimum wage!
【Quarantine measures】
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, quarantine measures continue to be imposed, but infection outbreaks have exploded throughout the country. There was a rapid increase from the middle of June, and on the 25th, the largest number of new infections per day was found at 1109 new cases. Lviv State (especially in Lviv City) recorded the highest number of infections in the country. By the 30th, 5435 people had been tested positive, which is the largest number in the country, surpassing the populous capital Kyiv.
Nationwide quarantine measures have been extended until the end of July.
This brings to mind, while the infection is spreading nationwide, there has been a gradual relaxation of quarantine measures across the country. Thresholds have been set to determine whether or not relaxation is acceptable. Every day it is reported that “Lviv does not meet the criteria,” and the relaxation has been repeatedly postponed. We have not seen a single report saying Lviv City has “met the relaxation criteria.” On the other hand, sports clubs and restaurants have been reportedly allowed to reopen and transportation services are back in operation; some measures have been implemented that appear to be a relaxation of the quarantine. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this. In April, when things were much better than they are now, businesses were all closed. But now with the number of infections having greatly increased, they resume business.
Since the people refused to take preventive measures against the infection, I first thought the government might have acted on the people’s will, but as the prime minister later explained, that was not the case. According to the prime minister, the situation is different from April because Ukraine already has a counter system against the virus and there is no social panic among the people. That may be true. However, it is reported that 95% of the hospital beds in Lviv State are already filled.
The government has attributed the explosive spread of the infection to people’s disregard for the quarantine regulations, especially not wearing masks and face guards, violating rules on public transportations, and crowding. When I go out for errands (which I don’t particularly want to be doing), I see that 80-90% of people on the streets have stopped wearing masks and have voluntarily ended quarantine measures. There were days when I saw only one person wearing a mask. That makes me want to ask why that person is still wearing a mask.
People who are highly aware of quarantine measures rarely go out in the first place, so you don’t see them very often, but people who hang around in crowded places for no reason are not very conscious of the risks. That I think might be the reason that the rate of people wearing masks on the streets is decreasing overall, and I suppose the government’s argument is correct. I sometimes see people taking off their masks in the windows of crowded streetcars.
Meanwhile, there was a news report that the president was referred to prosecutors for allegedly taking off his mask and eating and drinking at a café, and was fined a large amount together with those present. Apparently, even the president couldn’t figure out how to eat and drink with a mask on. Two days later, it was reported that the first lady was infected with COVID-19. (According to the report on June 30, she is in the recovery process.) Wearing a mask does not guarantee that you will not get infected, and not wearing a mask does not mean you will, but caution won’t hurt anyone.
【Conditions of transportation and easing of entry restrictions】
At Lviv International Airport, flight operations that were scheduled to resume on the 16th were delayed due to the worsening infection outbreaks, and resumed on the 20th. Trains that had been suspended or made to not pass through Lviv State resumed operations: local trains from the 25th, and high-class trains from the 26th. Bus services have also resumed. You can now use city transportation without a permit.
However, the number of buses and trains is still limited, and there are still restrictions. In particular, the schedule for the local trains fits perfectly if you depart on a train from Lviv bound for a nearby city or village in the evening, have an all-night party there, and return on the next morning’s train bound for Lviv.
Even under these circumstances, foreign nationals who meet the criteria set by the Ukrainian government are now permitted to enter Ukraine on the condition that they carry health insurance that supports COVID-19. Japan is included in the list of countries whose people are permitted to enter Ukraine. I don’t recommend visiting now unless it is urgent. If you need to come to Ukraine, please keep a close eye on the development of the situation and the warnings and travel advisories from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
【Reference】
政府、模試を中止（13日10:34付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3044714-urad-skasuvav-probne-zno-stepanov.html
シュメィハーリ首相、外部独立評価は中止せず（16日20:33付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/16/7255956/
セルヒーイ?シュカルレート著「学術論文」ほほいのほいでできた！（4日付記事）
http://false-science.ucoz.ua/news/naukova_stattja_sergija_shkarleta_tjap_ljap_i_gotovo/2020-06-04-87
ヤヌコーヴィチ支持者、教育省長官に（25日14:52付報道）
https://gazeta.ua/articles/politics/_prihilnika-anukovicha-zrobili-kerivnikom-mon/971740
カテレィーナ?ホロシュチャーク「剽窃者にして国庫で買う高級車の愛好者シュカルレート、教育科学大臣代行に」（25日付論説）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2020/06/25/241372/
シュメィハーリ首相、シュカルレート任命理由とキーウ地下鉄運休の有無を語る（26日付報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-53198243?at_custom1=%5bpost%20type%5d&at_custom4=53098A12-B7D1-11EA-9369-66B8FCA12A29&at_custom2=facebook_page&at_medium=custom7&at_custom3=BBC%20News%20Ukraine&at_campaign=64&fbclid=IwAR1oqRBsmNwivatURvs281s-gcwzmQyqFOztKMT0mGzkIbz6AOtwnxNiDPI
リヴィウ州、再び検疫措置を延長。新規感染者多数（5日15:29付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/5/7254656/
ゼレーンシケィイと仲間たち、フメリネィーツィケィイ市でコーヒーを飲んで送検（10日13:59付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/10/7255142/
ウクライナ大統領夫人、コロナウイルス検出（12日14:02付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/12/7255444/
リヴィウ州、検疫措置をさらに1週間延長（13日10:45付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/na_lvivshchyni_karantyn_prodovzhyly_shche_na_tyzhden_345395.html
外国人のウクライナ入国には保険が必要（13日11:36付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3044741-inozemci-zmozut-vihati-v-ukrainu-lise-z-polisom-strahuvanna-stepanov.html
ウィンドローズ航空、リヴィウ就航を延期（15日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25931/37/
キーウ空港とリヴィウ空港、検疫措置のため国際便運航再開せず（16日付報道）
https://www.avianews.com/ukraine/2020/06/16/airports_kiev_and_lviv_not_open_for_international_flights/
ステパーノウ保健相、万博体育官网app感染症増加の原因を説明（16日12:34付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/stepanov_nazvav_prychyny_zrostannya_novyh_vypadkiv_covid19_345535.html
検疫措置7月末まで延長（17日15:20付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/karantyn_v_ukraini_prodovzhyly_do_kintsya_lypnya_345618.html
リヴィウ州、さらに171件の万博体育官网app感染症を確認（18日09:01付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/shche_177_vypadkiv_covid19_pidtverdyly_na_lvivshchyni_345638.html
フメリネィーツィケィイ市のコーヒーに対するゼレーンシケィイへの罰金について、最高裁へ（19日12:06付報道）
https://zik.ua/news/ludyna/shtraf_zelenskomu_za_kavu_u_khmelnytskomu_spravu_peredaly_do_verkhovnoho_sudu_972182
カテレィーナ?レシュチューク「コロナウイルスがないかのように暮らすウクライナ人。なぜ万博体育官网app感染症は一層恐ろしいか」（22日05:30付論説）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2020/06/22/7256552/
リヴィウ州、検疫措置をさらに延長、但し交通機関は運行再開（22日19:07付報道）
http://tvoemisto.tv/news/karantyn_na_lvivshchyni_vkotre_prodovzhyly_ale_dozvolyly_robotu_transportu_110703.html
リヴィウ州、7月31日まで検疫措置延長。してよいこととダメなこと（23日11:55付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/na_lvivshchyni_karantyn_prodovzhyly_do_31_lypnya_dozvoly_ta_zaborony_cherez_covid19_345931.html
リヴィウ市、喫茶店、レストラン、スポーツクラブを再開（24日15:01付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/24/7256965/
ウクライナ鉄道、6月25日からリヴィウ州で近郊列車の運行再開（24日13:02付報道）
http://railway.lviv.ua/info/press-center/news/article/2020/june/2098/
ウクライナ鉄道、6月26日からリヴィウとの運行を再開（24日付報道）
https://uz.gov.ua/press_center/up_to_date_topic/520856/
ほぼ1000人の感染者。感染者数の推移グラフ（25日08:56付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/25/7257052/
罰金を増額、交通機関は問題。ゼレーンシケィイに万博体育官网app感染症の状況を説明（25日14:03付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/25/7257122/
ナターリヤ?ブシュコーウシカ「リヴィウでコロナウイルスに何が起こっているか？ 保健省が答えるべき問題」（25日付論説）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2020/06/25/241471/
リヴィウ市とリヴィウ州、ほぼ5200人の万博体育官网app感染症患者、うち137人は重篤（28日10:36付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_ta_na_lvivshchyni_mayzhe_52_tys_infikrvanyh_covid19_137__letalni_346208.html
シュメィハーリ首相、なぜウクライナは厳しい検疫措置に戻らないか説明（30日11:38付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/30/7257599/
リヴィウ州、10日連続でコロナウイルス患者数トップ（30日12:51付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/lvivshchyna_desyatyy_den_lidyruie_za_kilkistyu_hvoryh_na_koronavirus__shmygal_346292.html
リヴィウ州、7月7日まで検疫措置を延長、状況は深刻化（30日19:08付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/30/7257678/
世界のコロナウイルス。ウクライナ、安全な国のリストを作成（15日15:35付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/06/15/7255756/
人口10万人当たりの万博体育官网app感染症患者数の情報、6月14日時点（政府発表）
http://beta.moz.gov.ua/uploads/ckeditor/?нформац?я_по_активних_на_100_тис._на_14_червня.pdf
May Activity Report
31 May 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【Situation at The University of Lviv】
The University of Lviv remains closed as of May. Exams, faculty meetings, etc. are, in principle, conducted remotely. Some necessary tasks, such as administrative matters, appear to be carried out by staff members who come to work on a set schedule.
The second semester’s class period has already ended, and courses called “Practical Training” are being held remotely in June (lectures are in the second half of June and the assignment submissions are due in September), and then summer vacation will begin. Therefore, the campus will remain closed for the foreseeable future, especially since there is currently little need to open the university.
Although the new school year begins in September, there has been no official notification from the Ministry of Education on this subject. The situation remains uncertain. However, we have decided to conduct classes with large numbers of students online. As for other classes, we have not yet decided on their instruction methods. The Ministry of Education is currently considering whether or not to accept foreign exchange students, and The University of Lviv will be following the government’s decision.
【Lviv in Fresh Green Season】
May is the season for Lilacs (бузок). On street corners and house gardens, they have bloomed pale-purple flowers as the Japanese name murasaki hasidoi (fragrant purple flowers) suggests. They were a beautiful sight for about a month since the end of last month.
In Lviv, more people live in apartments than in single-family homes. This means that many often do not have private gardens. Nonetheless, people seem to enjoy making flower beds in any patch of soil they can find in their neighborhoods, such as on the sidewalks in front of their houses. The German iris and the Lily of the valley seem to be popular around this time of the year. In some places, people have planted ferns.
Birds gather where there are trees. It seems to be the mating season at the moment, so you can hear the Common blackbird’s (Др?зд чорний) rich and melodious songs every day. The Common blackbird is related to the Thrush and is about the size of the Bulbul. Under the trees in the park, males with black feathers and yellow eye-rings and bills chase after gray-feathered females.
Some birds are here all year round, such as Common ravens (Крук), Western jackdaws (Галка), Rooks (Грак), Eurasian magpies (Сорока звичайна), house sparrows (Горобець хатн?й), European turtle doves (Горлиця звичайна), Rock doves (Голуб сизий), and so on. However, in the Winter their feathers look so shabby and worn-out that you may not be able to imagine their lively appearances in the Summer. The Ravens here are quiet. Sparrow chicks play in fields where dandelions remain. Birds related to the Great tit (Синиця велика) and the White-eye (or nightingale) entertain us with their beautiful singing.
Here you can also see Common wood pigeons (Припутень). They are said to have become a resident bird in recent years, but I don’t think I see them in the winter in Lviv. It is a rather large pigeon with a slim body, a celadon head, and a white pattern on its neck, which somehow distinguishes itself from other pigeons.
In the evening, swallows, seemingly returning to their nests, fly around in the sky above. If you look closely, you can see some Black-headed gulls (Мартин звичайний) flying around as well. I wonder how well it is known that there are seagulls in the city of Lviv. I’ve never seen them on the grounds of the city.
I also sometimes hear the sound of birds pecking on wood. I wondered which type of woodpecker it was, until I saw the other day that it was indeed a Great spotted woodpecker (Дятел звичайний).
【Quarantine Measures】
Quarantine measures (карантин) to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were extended from May 11 to 22, and then to June 22. At the same time, regulations were gradually eased. However, the Lviv province postponed the relaxation of quarantine to the 15th, 18th, and 29th, because the province had failed to meet the deregulation criteria, mainly due to an increase in the number of infections in Lviv city. I don’t know if the city actually met the relaxation criteria as of the 29th, but anyway the regulations were eased. Restaurants, coffee shops (only takeout at the entrance, delivery services, or seats outside the store are available), beauty salons, barbers, esthetic salons, and shopping malls among others were reopened.
What’s interesting is that wearing a mask is mandatory in these places. It’s a bit surreal to imagine people eating and drinking with a mask on, or having their hair cut with their masks covered in hair. What kind of situation did they have in mind when they decided on the quarantine ease?
In fact, many Lviv citizens have stopped following quarantine measures “voluntarily” since the end of April, so people who fall into this dilemma may be the minority. It depends on the place and the day, but about 90% of the people on the streets have stopped wearing masks, which are supposed to be mandatory. Many people don’t care about keeping distance from others and carelessly approach each other. I don’t know if they are confident that they will not get infected, or if they don’t care if they transmit it to others. Or, maybe they simply believe that it is the duty of the government and others to deal with the virus, so as conscious as they may be of the situation, they don’t feel the need to do anything about it themselves.
It is no wonder that the Lviv province continues to be unable to meet the criteria for easing quarantine measures, as it has recorded the highest number of new infections per day in the country.
The surgical department in hospitals for general examinations is partially running , but all specialists are closed, so there will be a big inconvenience if you have any problems. The suspension of transportation is another problem for residents without cars.
On the other hand, there was an announcement that the university entrance examination will be postponed by one month.
【International Cooperation】
This month, as before, Ukrainian aircrafts were active on the international scene, with large transport aircrafts An-225 “Mriya,” An-124 “Ruslan,” and An-22 “Antei” flying from China to places like Ukraine, the United States, and Canada. The An-225, which transports medical supplies to North America, makes frequent stops at Chubu Centrair International Airport on its technical landing (for refueling) on a flight from China to Monreal or Toronto via Anchorage. You may have seen an An-225 in Japan.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s National Post, Ukrposhta (Укрпошта), announced that airmail services operated by An -26 was going to launch between Lviv International Airport and Frankfurt Airport, enabling “smoother international mail services to Japan.” Ukraine’s National Post is building a new network under quarantine measures. Mail between Japan and Ukraine (airmail and EMS) has been suspended for now, but will the system change and have mail sent directly from Frankfurt to Lviv instead of via Kyiv in the future? If so, the delivery time may be shortened.
【Reference】
散髪店と喫茶店は営業再開へ（3日09:14付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/3/7250259/
教育省、大学および専門学校受験期間を1ヶ月後ろ倒し（8日付報道）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2020/05/8/240935/
リヴィウ州政府、感染者数増加との関係で緩和措置なしでの検疫措置継続を義務付け（10日付発表）
https://loda.gov.ua/news?id=51339
閣僚会議、8人での外出と4名までの着席を許可（13日15:28付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/13/7251490/
リヴィウ、新たな検疫措置緩和としてショッピングモールと外来診療所の再開を準備（14日13:35付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/14/7251622/
リヴィウ州、検疫措置を緩和（15日13:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/15/7251776/
閣僚会議、適正化検疫措置を6月22日まで延長（20日14:59付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3029359-kabmin-zaprovadzue-adaptivnij-karantin-do-22-cervna.html
州間旅客輸送は6月1日から、地下鉄は5月25日から運行再開（20日15:50付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3029438-kriklij-perevezenna-miz-oblastami-ponovlatsa-z-1-cervna-metro-z-25.html
5月22日から検疫措置緩和（20日15:52付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/z_22_travnya_v_ukraini_poslablyuyut_karantyn_344124.html
リヴィウ州、5月29日まで検疫措置延長（22日15:47付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/22/7252783/
「ムリーヤ」、中国からカナダへ記録的量の医療品を空輸（2日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25420/37/
「アンテーイ」、ウクライナへ医療品を空輸（4日21:01付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/4/7250433/
「ムリーヤ」の日本着陸（23日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25636/82/
「ムリーヤ」、再びカナダへ医療品を空輸（24日20:39付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-world/3032028-mria-vdruge-dopravila-partiu-medzasobiv-do-kanadi.html
ウクライナ外務省、NATOの戦略物資輸送の100％を「アントーノウ」社の航空機が実施（25日15:28付報道）
https://www.epravda.com.ua/news/2020/05/25/660931/
COVID-19と戦う「ムリーヤ」と「ルスラーン」たち（27日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25683/82/
リヴィウ空港からフランクフルトへ貨物便が就航（28日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25705/37/
「ムリーヤ」、三度カナダへ医療品を空輸（31日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25738/37/
April Activity Report
30 April 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki
【Spring in Lviv】
The warming weather awakened and lured out a lot of wild birds. Migratory swallows have been flying high in the sky. Because of the shape of their wings, swallows are called “sickle-winged birds” in Ukrainian. The grove is teeming with many kinds of birds: pigeons of different types, magpies, halfbeaks, thrushes, starlings, tits, warblers, and a few birds whose names I don’t know. By the way, did you know pigeons in Ukraine hoot differently from those in Japan? In Japan they sound like they’re saying “Okaasan! Okaasan!” (‘mother’) or “Otoosan-ga!” (‘father [is])’).
Usually, these birds are in the upper part of a tree when there are people around, and it is hard to see them. But since so few people are out and about, with most people taking shelter at home, these feathered friends have often been coming down to the lower branches and the ground.
【The National University of Lviv】
On April 4, 2020, the former president of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Professor Ivan Vakarchuk (Chapter 1947 – 2020), passed away. Professor Vakarchuk worked enthusiastically toward the establishment of the Japanese language course in the Department of Oriental Studies. One could say that the academic exchange agreement with the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies came about as an extension of that. May his soul rest in peace.
【Quarantine Measures】
The quarantine implemented to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus was originally scheduled to end on April 3, but has since been extended twice, first until April 24 and then until May 11.
The following rules were also added to the quarantine as of April 1, which came into effect on April 6.
[https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/od/ryojiMail.html?countryCd=0380]
The following are actions are now prohibited:
1) Not wearing a face mask in public spaces.
2) Going out as a group of more than two people (except when required for business reasons or when accompanying minors).
3) For children under the age of 16 [“14” since April 3] to stay in public places without adult supervision.
4) Visiting parks, public squares, rest areas, forest parks, and coastal areas (except for walking the dog alone or when required for business reasons).
5) Visiting sports fields or children’s parks.
6) Hosting a large-scale event that draws more than ten people (except when required by state institutions or the local government for operational reasons).
The regulations have since been modified to include penalties (as described in the above link).
Now, how have these new rules changed the lives of the Lviv locals?
【How to Wear Face Masks – The Latest Trends】
In Ukraine, people didn’t have the habit of wearing face masks. Wearing masks meant they were seriously ill; people often even gave up their seats on buses if they saw someone wearing a face mask. However, it’s now become part of their daily lives. You cannot enter stores or take public transportation without wearing a mask. Stores limit the number of customers and take customers’ temperatures at the entrance. (Even when there is a line, you don’t have to wait too long before entering.)
Masks were in short supply at first, but after a while, they became available everywhere. They used to be sold at pharmacies, but now they are also found at supermarkets. I have a feeling that the reason masks haven’t run out is not only because of the increase in supply but also because there are people who don’t wear them and people who don’t change them frequently. Now let’s take a look at the latest face mask trends.
The first trend is to cover your mouth with a mask, and keep your nose out so as not to interfere with your breathing.
The second trend is to wear a mask on your chin to protect it from bumping into things. This means leaving your nose and mouth out so you can breathe freely.
The third trend is to prevent colds by protecting your throat. This means putting a mask on your throat and preventing your tonsils from swelling. The nose and mouth should be exposed to secure an adequate supply of fresh oxygen.
The fourth trend? You don’t have to cover your face with a mask because you didn’t do anything wrong. You can go out and walk with your chin up.
The classic way to cover the nose and mouth seems to be out of fashion.
(* The reasons and purposes behind the ways of wearing a mask are personal speculations.)
【Easter at Home】
This year’s Easter was in April, on the 12th for the Western Church and the 19th for the Eastern Church. Usually, many religious events are held in churches. However, as the President previously stated, large gatherings in closed spaces like chapels should be avoided this year; therefore, the Ukrainian government appealed to religious groups for cooperation in line with the quarantine measures.
In response, the two largest churches in Ukraine, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and other minority churches (Roman Catholic Churches, Protestants, etc.), allowed their followers to officiate Mass at their own home, urging them to stay home. The Easter Masses at churches were live-streamed online.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which maintains a certain amount of power and is deemed as effectively the Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, has repeatedly encouraged its followers to gather at churches. In response to this, a large number of people gathered in churches in many areas including Chernivtsi, where the spread of the new coronavirus was most serious. In particular, there were mass infections at the Kyiv Pecher’s Lavra and Pochaiv Lavra, which the abovementioned Church use for services. Some news reports even said that all priests in the former were infected (this later turned out to be a false report: the number of infections at the church is still on the rise, which means not “everyone” was infected at the time). There have also been reports of a spate of infections among dignitaries including the Church leaders (denied by the Church at the moment). The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has been known for its hostile attitude toward Ukraine; for example, they supported Russia during the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and pro-Russian terrorists supported by Russia. I wonder who will gain from their recent actions.
To be clear, most of the churches have reported no problems, and not all the members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate are uncooperative with the quarantine measures.
【Crackdown】
On the streets, you see many people breaching the quarantine regulations, such as not wearing masks (around 10% of passersby as of mid-April, which has since increased) and gatherings of a large number of people. Police seem to be patrolling, but there are simply too many offenses. I suppose there is no stopping people from interpreting the rules in their own ways.
However, I think it is difficult to decide whether it is better to set strict restrictions or to leave it to the discretion of citizens. Any crackdowns by the police would remind Ukrainians of the Soviet police. The Ukrainian police were only reorganized recently under the previous administration in order to break free from corrupt practices committed during the Soviet era. Any sign of return to the Soviet era would give the public a bad impression.
Around mid-April, talks about lifting quarantine measures began. At the end of April, the President and the government began to address these issues. Around the same time in Japan, the Hokkaido governor held a press conference regarding the 25 new cases of coronavirus infections confirmed in Hokkaido, while the Tokyo governor also often held press conferences on the situation in the capital city. In Ukraine, people are oscillating between optimism and pessimism depending on the number of infections that day. The reported number of infections in Ukraine is around 300 to 600 with the national population similar to that of Kanto region. The officials say with the situation stabilized, it’s time to consider easing quarantine measures. Other European countries are also weakening quarantine measures under similar circumstances. For me this is a reminder that people of different cultures view things differently.
【International Cooperation】
The Japanese government has decided to provide “Avigan” free of charge to 20 countries, including Ukraine, on the condition that the clinical results are shared. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has expressed his gratitude.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is making international contributions in every possible area, including transportation, financial assistance (to Albania), and sending medical personnel (to Italy). In particular, its contributions to the transportation sector have been significant. Ukraine, which is well known for possessing the world’s largest aircraft, the An -225 “Mriya,” has launched a long-range mass transit operation using all of its large transport aircraft this month. Part of this transport is in connection with the Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS) program, which is a partnership with NATO, aiming to strengthen Ukraine’s relationship with NATO.
The large cargo planes An -225 “Mriya,” An-124-100/-100M “Ruslan,” and An-22A “Antei,” owned by the Ukrainian cargo Antonov Airlines, fly between China, Europe, and North America to transport medical supplies to various countries. Interestingly, in Poland, when the An-225 flew into Warsaw for the first time, they warned people that “we understand that you would like to see the world’s largest airplane, but please do not gather at the airport to prevent the spread of infection”, which consequently attracted a crowd of people outside the airport……
Developed in the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named O. K. Antonov (presently the “Antonov State Enterprise”), the An-225 has an unrivaled maximum payload of 250 tons. The prototype of the An-225, the large cargo plane An-124, weighs 150 tons, the Boeing 747-8F cargo plane “Jumbo Jet” 147.6 tons, the Boeing 777F cargo plane of the same size as a conventional long-distance passenger plane 103.9 tons, and the U.S. Air Force’s C-17 cargo plane, which is also stationed at Yokota Air Base, 78 tons. The maximum payload is the maximum amount of weight the aircraft can carry when fully loaded with the minimum amount of fuel. In actual operation, the aircraft needs to be loaded with a large amount of fuel while reducing their body weight to fly a long distance of nearly 10,000 kilometers. Therefore, the realistic amount that can be transported from China to Europe or the United States at a time is probably about 100 tons. (This does not apply when the plane refuels along the way.) In any case, there are no other transportation means in the world that can transport the same amount of cargo at high speed. Of course, sea mail can carry much more, but the transportation speed is incomparable.
Other transport missions have been operated by the Ukrainian Air Force transport aircraft Il-76MD, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ VIP plane An-74TK-200VIP (used for transporting medical teams to Italy), and the National Guard of Ukraine An-72P. Commercial airlines such as Ukrainian International Airlines, SkyUp Airlines, and Azur Air Ukraine also use their passenger planes as cargo planes to transport goods and mail. The Cargo air company “Eleron,” which launched last year with Lviv International Airport as a hub, have one An-26B and An-26 (small cargo planes) each and started a postal service between neighboring countries such as Latvia and Sweden.
Ukraine is currently experiencing difficulties with international postal services. Due to the suspension of the scheduled passenger flights, international airmail is also at a standstill. So, you cannot send mail from Japan to Ukraine. Special passenger flights, which happen occasionally, may also be used to solve this problem.
I feel a little uneasy about the suspension of postal services, so I would like to support air freight transportation in Ukraine and other countries. Even if it is only by praying for them in my heart.
But there is some unfortunate news. Reports say that the alleged quality certificate of Chinese medical masks shipped by Ukraine to Poland turned out to be fake, and it is not certain if the masks are effective. There are other similar news stories, and it worries me that Ukraine’s efforts are going to be in vain. The European Commission pointed out the EU’s “morbid dependency” on China. This, too, has dampened the achievement of Ukrainian aircrafts, though Ukraine has no reason to be blamed for this incident. Some people in Ukraine, while criticizing Russia, have some strange fantasies about China, and we have to be careful whether we really join Europe or just find a new “big brother” to replace Russia.
【Reform】
In Ukraine, free transactions of agricultural land have been banned as a vestige of the Soviet era, but a new bill to liberate the farmland market was passed this month. There are pros and cons to this law, but with the passage of this important bill, the reform is starting to move forward.
【Reference】
イワーン?ワカルチューク氏訃報（4日12:32付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/4/7246490/
歴史的瞬間。ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、土地市場法に署名（28日15:02付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/28/7249698/
リヴィウ州で万博体育官网app感染症初の死者（5日13:21付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/5/7246576/
警察によるマスク非着用者取り締まり開始（6日23:49付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/6/7246776/
日本、ウクライナに抗ウイルス薬を提供（8日18:29付発表）
https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/yaponiya-peredast-ukrayini-partiyu-protivirusnogo-preparatu
政府、検疫措置の規制を修正（9日18:18付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/9/7247082/
ウクライナ正教会エピファーニイ府主教、信徒に聖土曜日の自宅待機を要請（11日20:55付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/11/7247495/
チェルニウツィーの聖堂でのネコヤナギの成聖（12日10:31付報道）
https://acc.cv.ua/news/chernivtsi/osvyachennya-verbi-u-hramah-chernivciv-fotoreportazh-57253
リーウネで検疫措置に拘らず儀式とネコヤナギの成聖を実施。高齢者マスクなしで集合（12日13:40付報道）
https://zik.ua/news/crime/bez_zakhysnykh_masok_i_dystantsii_u_rivnomu_provely_sluzhbu_ta_osviachennia_verby_nezvazhaiuchy_na_karantyn_965191
キーウ洞窟大修道院のクラスターで2人目の死者（13日15:04付報道）
https://www.prada.com.ua/news/2020/04/13/7247674/
ポチャーイウ大修道院の聖職者がコロナウイルスで死亡（13日18:20付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/13/7247706/
モスクワ総主教庁ウクライナ正教会トップ、復活祭には聖堂で儀式を実施と宣言（14日15:33付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/14/7247846/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領「洞窟大修道院にはすでに100名以上のコロナウイルス感染者」（14日20:26付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/14/7247893/
リヴィウ州、全市場（いちば）の営業を禁止（15日付報道）
https://zaxid.net/na_lvivshhini_zaboronili_diyalnist_usih_rinkiv_n1500933
ウクライナ?グレコ＝カトリック教会スウャトスラーウ猊下「今日、我らが聖職者たちは涙ながらにこう言う“皆さんは教会へ入ってはなりません”と」（16日10:30付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2020/04/16/7248102/
キーウ洞窟大修道院とポチャーイウ大修道院の復活祭儀式の模様（18日23:00付報道）
https://zik.ua/news/ludyna/velykodnie_bohosluzhinnia_u_kyievo_pecherskii_ta_pochaivskii_lavrakh_onlain_transliatsiia_965956
ドネーツィク州のスウャトヒールシク大修道院でマスクをせず密集した群衆が復活祭を迎える（19日10:48付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/19/7248526/
ヘルソーンのモスクワ総主教庁の聖堂は群衆に満ちる、州知事も参加（19日13:21付報道）
http://most.ks.ua/news/url/nochju_manger_so_svjaschennikami_moskovskogo_patriarhata_narushali_karantinnye_ogranichenija
ウクライナの感染者93％は国内で感染（23日付報道）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2020/04/23/240716/
リヴィウは市場を開業し、バーとレストランの部分的開業を要請（29日19:49付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/29/7249913/
シュメィハーリ首相、検疫措置の新しい緩和条件を次の閣議で予告（29日20:00付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/29/7249914/
ゼレーンシケィイ大統領、検疫措置完了の必要性に言及（30日15:41付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/30/7250035/
ウクライナの「ルスラーン」5機が中国から欧州へ医療品を輸送中（4月1日19:21付報道）
https://www.epravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/1/658850/
リヴィウ～リーガ～リヴィウ間に貨物便が就航（3日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25190/37/
ワルシャワでウクライナの人道物資輸送機を見学に行かないよう呼び掛け（10日21:05付報道）
https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2020/04/10/7108631/
ウクライナのAn-225「ムリーヤ」、中国からポーランドへ医療物資を輸送（14日21:49付報道）
https://uprom.info/news/other/logistika/ukrayinskyj-an-225-mriya-pryviz-medychnyj-vantazh-z-kytayu-do-polshhi/
北大西洋条約機構事務総長「ウクライナは航空機によりNATOのコロナウイルスとの戦いを支援」（14日21:58付報道）
https://ukrainian.voanews.com/a/ukraina-dopomagae-nato-u-borotbi-z-koronavirusom/5371441.html
2機のウクライナ軍機Il-76、ルーマニアへ中国から医療物資を輸送（15日11:38付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/15/7247963/
「アントーノウ」の世界最大のプロペラ輸送機、貨物輸送を再開（16日09:45付報道）
https://uprom.info/news/other/logistika/najbilshyj-u-sviti-turbogvyntovyj-vantazhnyj-litak-z-flotu-antonova-vidnovlyuye-vantazhoperevezennya/
「ムリーヤ」、フランスへ150トンのマスクを届ける（19日21:36付報道）
https://uprom.info/news/other/logistika/mriya-dostavyla-do-francziyi-150-tonn-masok/
EUは中国に「病的に依存」 欧州委員、医療物資調達面で指摘（20日20:54付報道）
https://www.afpbb.com/articles/-/3279467
ポーランド、中国から品質保証書の偽装されたマスクを受領（23日10:18付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/23/7249018/
An-225「ムリーヤ」、ウクライナへ医療機器と抗ウイルス薬を輸送（23日11:45付報道）
https://uprom.info/news/other/logistika/an-225-mriya-dostavyla-do-ukrayiny-partiyu-medychnogo-obladnannya-ta-preparativ-dlya-borotby-z-koronavirusom/
ウクライナの医療従事者、イタリアから帰国（23日付報道）
http://www.wing.com.ua/content/view/25359/37/
ウクライナの医者、イタリアから帰国（24日10:25付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/24/7249169/
An-124「ルスラーン」、医療物資を運びアメリカ合衆国へ着陸（24日23:59付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/04/24/7249310/
An-225「ムリーヤ」、ドイツへ対万博体育官网app感染症手段を輸送（27日21:10付報道）
https://uprom.info/news/other/logistika/an-225-mriya-dostavyla-do-nimechchyny-zasoby-borotby-proty-covid-19/
ウクライナのAn-124、中国からアメリカ合衆国へ人道医療物資を輸送（27日23:08付報道）
https://uprom.info/news/other/logistika/ukrayinskyj-an-124-dostavyv-medychnyj-gumanitarnyj-vantazh-z-kytayu-v-ssha/
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https://flyteam.jp/news/article/124222