What Ukraine's entry ban on foreigners meant on 16 March 2020
A look back at the day Ukraine closed its borders to non-citizens, days after its first coronavirus death and the start of a nationwide quarantine.
What did it mean when Ukraine shut its borders to foreigners on 16 March 2020? From 00:00 that day, the country barred foreigners and stateless persons from entering its territory until 3 April, the same date on which the nationwide quarantine was due to end.
A fast sequence of steps
The border ban was the third step in a few days. On 11 March 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced a quarantine running from 12 March to 3 April. Mass events of more than 200 people were banned, and kindergartens and educational institutions were closed. As reported at the time, the government said some sporting events might still go ahead, but without spectators.
On 13 March 2020, the Ministry of Healthcare reported the country's first death from COVID-19. The victim was a 71-year-old woman from Radomyshl, in Zhytomyr region. Within three days, the authorities had moved from restricting gatherings to restricting entry.
The regional picture
Ukraine was not acting alone. On 12 March 2020, Slovakia ordered its borders closed to non-residents and shut its international airports and schools. Poland, a neighbour, suspended schools and universities for two weeks, closed theatres, operas, cinemas and museums, and banned mass events. The Polish Football Association said that friendly matches with Finland and Ukraine, planned for later in the month, would be played behind closed doors.
On 10 March 2020, Poland's Ministry of National Defence announced that its General Commander, Jarosław Mika, had tested positive after returning from Germany. He became the highest-ranking member of NATO's armed forces reported to be infected.
What the measures showed
The three Ukrainian decisions shared one timeframe. The quarantine and the entry ban were both set to run to 3 April, which gave the authorities a single date on which to review the situation. The entry ban was aimed at foreigners and stateless persons, so it targeted cross-border movement rather than daily life inside the country. The quarantine, by contrast, covered schools, kindergartens and public gatherings.
Taken together, the measures put into effect a layered approach: limits on gatherings and education at home, and limits on arrivals from abroad. For an international readership following Ukrainian public institutions, 16 March 2020 marked the moment when the response extended from domestic restrictions to control of the border.
