Subway resumes work in Kyiv, Kharkiv: new safety rules, explained (Photo)

In the City of Dnipro, local authorities are yet to decide on the expedience of subway relaunch given the current COVID-19 situation.

On May 25, Ukraine Government allowed relaunching subway operations after a two-month lockdown caused by the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Kyiv and Kharkiv, subway stations opened their doors at 5:00 today. Face masks or respirators remain mandated so passengers will be prohibited entry if they fail to wear one.

UNIAN reminds of new rules awaiting passengers of the most popular public transport.

Kyiv

While Kyiv remained on tough quarantine, the turnover of subway tokens was terminated. All tokens left at passengers' disposal can still be used before month-end.

To access stations, passengers will need to use electronic cards, qr tickets, or pay through contactless terminals.

Social distancing floor markings have been hey introduced at stations, while train carriages undergo disinfection.

Safety rules for passengers:

No temperature screening will be introduced at station entrances, while police will monitor whether passengers wear mandatory face masks and protective gloves.

Social distancing remains passengers' personal responsibility as no additional train cars can be provided given the platform length.

However, authorities do not expect the regular flow of some half-million passengers in the subway. Crowds could be avoided due to a pre-quarantine schedule of subway trains. However, if it doesn't work out, Natalia Makogon says there is a practice of restricting passenger traffic at stations by locking part of entrance doors.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on May 23, the Kyiv City State Administration said the epidemiological situation in the capital met the criteria introduced by government to ease quarantine, so the city was moving to Stage 2 of relaxation.

Kharkiv

Ahead of the reopening, the local subway operator procured sanitizer solutions in bulk, worked out overnight disinfection routine, and set up an access system to ensure social distancing.

There will be screening to regulate passenger flow and avoid crowds, said Chairman of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Oleksiy Kucher, Channel 24 reports.

Posters will remind passengers of the obligation to wear face masks, while staff will also be making the relevant announcements over the tannoy.

Dnipro

In the City of Dnipro, local authorities are yet to decide on the expedience of subway relaunch given the current COVID-19 situation.