FILE PHOTO: Women walk past an installation showing a protective face mask amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Kyiv, Ukraine December 28, 2020. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine reopens schools, restaurants and gyms on Monday, ending a tough lockdown introduced on Jan. 8 to prevent a new wave of coronavirus infections, Ukrainian authorities said.
The number of new daily cases in Ukraine has significantly decreased, from around 6,000 to 9,000 at the start of the year, to 2,516 on Monday (Jan 25). The figure was the lowest since early September last year.
"Such statistics, which indicate the stabilisation of the situation, the improvement of the situation could be obtained only thanks to you, Ukrainians," health minister Maksym Stepanov told a televised briefing.
"We believe that this (lockdown) has significantly improved the situation now and in the future," he said.
He said Ukraine, which has registered around 1.2 million cases of coronavirus with 21,924 deaths, would retain some restrictions, mainly related to the work of the service sector, restaurants and transport.
Stepanov said the ministry would analyse the results of the lockdown this week and would then like to return to a system of local restrictions responding to conditions in a particular city or region.
Ukrainian officials earlier this month said the health ministry expected it would not have to introduce any further strict measures in the future.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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