KYIV, Jan 25 – Ukraine may resume color-coded regional quarantine restrictions after studying data from the recent coronavirus lockdown, but for now will proceed with extra caution, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Monday.

The government allowed schools, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters to reopen at lower capacity on Monday after the strict three-week lockdown had ended, showing encouraging signs of a slowing pandemic.

Ukraine reported 30,612 new coronavirus infections last week, down from about 44,500 the previous week, according to Health Minister Maksym Stepanov.

“The statistics are rather optimistic and point to an improvement,” Stepanov said.

Shmyhal said the government will study the data to see if the country may return to the color-coded system that was in effect in December 2020. The system calls for stricter quarantine measures if a region reports higher number of coronavirus cases and will be classifying as ‘red,’ while those with low number of cases would be classified as ‘green.’

“The Health Ministry will shortly study the situation in the regions and depending on the results we will make the decision,” Shmyhal said. “We may be returning to green, yellow, orange and red zones.”

Until the data is studied, the government will classify the entire country as an ‘orange zone,’ Shmyhal said.

The lockdown ended on Monday with the government praising the measure as an ‘effective way’ of slowing down the pandemic, according to Shmyhal. The lockdown banned operation of restaurants, schools, movie theaters and gyms.

Now, the government allows to reopen movie theaters to operate at not more than 50% capacity, as well as to operate museums, exhibitions and galleries unless they can limit the number of visitors to one person per 10 square meters of space.

Gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to reopen if they can limit the number of visitors to one person per 20 square meters of total space.

Discos, entertainment establishments and nightclubs will still be closed.

The school may now reopen and will be allowed to be attended by groups not more than 20 students; A school will be closed if ore than 50% of students and staff self-isolate after contacting a patient with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. (ub/ez)