Ukraine's transport curbs and a new schooling law, 18 March 2020
A look back at a day when travel restrictions were announced and a law on complete general secondary education took effect.
What did a single day in Ukraine look like when two very different changes arrived together? On 18 March 2020, the country moved to limit the spread of coronavirus infection, and a major education law came into force.
The transport measures were wide-ranging. Railway, bus and air services across the country were suspended. The metro was set to close, while minibuses, trolleybuses and trams would keep running only with restrictions.
The aim, as stated at the time, was to restrict the spread of the coronavirus infection. For commuters, it meant that the usual ways of moving around cities and between regions were sharply curtailed.
On the same date, the law "On Complete General Secondary Education" took effect. It set the framework for the country's schooling, and its entry into force coincided with a day dominated by emergency restrictions.
Together, the two developments marked 18 March 2020 as a day when public life was reshaped on one front by urgent limits on movement and on another by a long-prepared piece of legislation becoming binding.
