Ukraine's government has extended the country's state of emergency until the end of the year as officials deal with a surge in coronavirus infections.
The government said on September 20 that it would announce a so-called "yellow" epidemic level from September 22, which imposes limits on the number of people who can be at public venues or attend mass events, and includes mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing.
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The "yellow" level restrictions will not apply if all participants and at least 80 percent of the staff have one or two vaccine doses or a PCR or rapid antibody test no older than 72 hours.
The decision comes after the number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19 increased last week by 68 percent, while hospitalizations rose by 51 percent.
"It's true, we are seeing an increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19, but thanks to vaccination we have a margin of safety," Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said.
"The medical system is ready to respond to the new wave of infections, but the best way to save your life and health is to get vaccinated at the first opportunity available,” he added.
Ukraine has registered some 2.35 million COVID-19 cases and 54,919 related deaths since the start of the pandemic, while fewer than 5.2 million of the country's 41 million inhabitants have received two vaccine doses.
