Rad Tourism: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Reportedly Opens as Ukraine Eases COVID-19 Lockdown

All tourists seeking to enter the exclusion zone would have to wear protective masks and gloves, while people exhibiting symptoms of an acute viral respiratory infection would be denied entry.

The exclusion zone that surrounds the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine is going to once again open to the public as Ukrainian government eases the restrictions imposed amid the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, local media outlet UNIAN reports citing a statement issued by the state agency in charge of managing the zone.

All visitors would have to undergo a body temperature screening, both while boarding a shuttle bus bound for the zone and at a checkpoint at the entrance to the zone; the use of face masks or respirators, gloves and hand sanitizer by the visitors is also mandatory.

People whose body temperature exceeds 37.2 degrees Celsius or who exhibit symptoms of an acute viral respiratory infection will be prohibited from entering the zone, and if such person is detected during the aforementioned screening, the entire tour group they belong to would be denied entry.

The media outlet also notes that due to the ongoing “adaptive quarantine” measures in the country, all tour groups will be following the same predetermined route through the zone, and the maximum size of a tour group must not exceed 10 people.

While Ukraine first implemented the self-isolation measures in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian government now implemented a so called “adaptive quarantine” from 22 May till 22 June, the media outlet adds.

As of 29 May, at least 22,811 COVID-19 cases and 679 deaths were reported in Ukraine, according to figures provided by the World Health Organization.